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| Endometriosis is a disease that affects 1 in 4 women. It is a chronic disease with numerous symptoms. For alot of women it can take 5 - 8 years to be diagnosed. Most sufferers will identify with being told they are hypochondriacs or had their symptoms confused with other illnesses. Endometriosis (Endo for short) can only be diagnosed with a minor operation called a Laparoscopy. * What is Endometriosis?? Endo occurs when the lining of the uterus appears in areas outside the uterus. Endo can be microscopic cells that attach to any tissue or organs, cysts and adhesions. Adhesions are very painful sticky masses that can virtually glue organs together. Medical textbooks teach that Endo are black lesions, however it can also occur as clear, white, red, yellow or grey lesions. Some women can have very little Endo and experience debilitating pain while others can have masses of Endo and suffer no symptoms. Endo mainly occurs in the area outside the uterus, on any or all of the reproductive organs, the bowel, the outside uterus wall and the bladder. * Symptoms Endo can have many symptoms, and sufferers can be affected by none or all of them. Symptoms include : - chronic menstrual and ovulation cramping - thigh and/or leg pain - bowel problems - painful sexual intercourse - lower back pain - nausea - fluid retention.....and more Women who suffer from Endo can also experience lower resistance to immune disorders, side effects from medications, reaction to hormone treatments, repeated surgeries and infertility. * Treatment Treatment is usually a series of hormone treatments and/or surgery, sometimes repeated surgies. The side effects of hormone treatments can be fairly dramatic, and hormone treatment is only a temporary measure. Surgery can remove Endo, but unfortunately Endo often returns. This disease can affect all aspects of health and quality of life. Many sufferers experiment with stronger pain killers and new hormone treatments to try to control the pain. |
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