Endometriosis Awareness

As the Endometriosis Awareness Week 2011 starts tomorrow – 2 March 2011, statistics indicate that it still takes a very long time to get diagnosed with Endometriosis (results from Endometriosis UK’s survey of 3000 women). Detailed results of this survey will be released on ITV’s Daybreak.

What is Endometriosis?

Fact – In the UK itself, Endometriosis affects approximately 2 million women!

The name endometriosis comes from the word “endometrium” which is the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus. Endometriosis is a condition in which cells that normally line the womb (uterus) grow outside the womb in other parts of the body.

These cells go through the same monthly hormonal changes as the womb lining itself which, unless in pregnancy, breaks and bleeds every month forming the monthly period. These cells also get stimulated by the hormones causing them to break down and bleed internally. As this internal bleeding has no way of leaving the body, it causes inflammation and pain in tissues surrounding the area of endometriosis.

Endometriosis or endometrial cells/ tissues can be found inside the pelvis, the fallopian tubes, near or around the ovaries, the Pouch of Douglas, bowel, bladder, intestines, vagina, and rectum, and has even been found as far as the lungs and eyes in some patients.

Symptoms

Fact – many doctors and GPs still consider most of the below symptoms “to being a normal part of a woman’s life”!

Very often, women who have Endometriosis have no symptoms. Symptoms if present, tend to vary a lot, the most common one being pelvic pain that feels like period pain. Other common symptoms are:

• painful menstrual cramps
• pain at ovulation time
• irregular and/ or heavy periods
• painful urination and/ or painful bowel movements
• pain during intercourse
• fatigue, lethargy and insomnia
• difficulty getting pregnant

A complication with Endometriosis is that the severity of symptoms doesn’t necessarily correlate with the extent of the disease itself.

Causes

The exact causes of Endometriosis are still unknown; much research is still needed into Endometriosis and its causes. Genetic linkages have been proposed. Also certain factors like if a woman’s periods started early and/ or their mother or sister has Endometriosis may make someone more likely to get Endometriosis.

Diagnosis

Some women find it embarrassing to discuss their symptoms with their doctor/ GP. However it is absolutely vital that your doctor knows all your symptoms. Many sufferers have found it helpful to keep a diary of their symptoms, when they occurred etc. Here are two very helpful guides on the sort of questions and points about the symptoms to be considered, before speaking about them with the doctor:

• Endometriosis UK website – Your first consultation with your GP. There is a link called “click here” inside the text that leads you to a very useful questionnaire for your GP appointment.
• Endometriosis She trust website – Talking to your GP

Currently, the only way to get a confirmed diagnosis of Endometriosis is through an invasive surgical procedure called laparoscopy where under general anaesthetic the doctor inserts a small telescope with a light on the end into the pelvis through the navel. The laparoscope is moved around inside the abdomen to look for endometrial cells.

Please share your Endometriosis story here. To take part all you need to do is write your comments in the box below.

• Do your female friends and family know about Endometriosis?
• Have you been diagnosed with Endometriosis?
• How difficult was it, and how long did it take for you to be diagnosed?
• How do you think can awareness be raised about Endometriosis?

Do share any links to relevant pages and resources that you may have found of interest and value to your fellow readers.