overview
- Endometriosis builds up on the uterus and ovaries
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Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis) is an often painful condition in which the tissue is similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus – the endometrium – and grows outside your uterus. Your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly affects your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue that lines your pelvis. In rare cases, endometrial tissue can spread beyond the pelvic organs. - In endometriosis, the endometrial tissue acts like the endometrial tissue – it thickens, collapses, and bleeds with each menstrual cycle. But since this tissue has no way out of your body, it gets trapped. When endometriosis affects the ovaries, cysts called endometriomas can form. The surrounding tissues can become irritated and eventually develop scar tissue and adhesions – abnormal ligaments of fibrous tissue that can cause pelvic tissues and organs to stick together. Endometriosis Treatment in Hyderabad
symptom
The main symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, which is often associated with menstruation. Although many experience cramping during their menstrual period, people with endometriosis generally describe pain that is much worse than usual. The pain can also increase over time.
Common signs and symptoms of endometriosis are:
Painful periods (dysmenorrhea). Pelvic pain and cramps can last for several days before and after your period. You can also have back and stomach pain.
Painful intercourse. Pain during or after sex is common with endometriosis.
Pain when having a bowel movement or urination. These symptoms are most likely to appear during a menstrual period.
Heavy bleeding. You may occasionally have heavy periods or bleeding between periods (breakthrough bleeding).
Infertility. Sometimes endometriosis is first diagnosed in patients seeking infertility treatment.
The reasons
While the exact cause of endometriosis isn’t certain, possible explanations are:
- Retrograde menstruation. During retrograde periods, menstrual blood, which contains endometrial cells, returns through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity rather than out of the body. These endometrial cells adhere to the pelvic walls and surfaces of the pelvic organs, where they grow and continue to thicken and bleed during each menstrual cycle.
- Transformation of peritoneal cells. In what is known as “induction theory,” experts suggest that hormones, or immune factors, promote the conversion of peritoneal cells – cells that line the inside of your abdomen – into cells that are similar to the endometrium.
- Transformation of Embryonic Cells. Hormones such as estrogen can turn embryonic cells – cells in the early stages of development – into endometrial-like cell implants during puberty.
- Surgical scar implantation. After an operation such as a hysterectomy or a caesarean section, cells in the endometrium can attach themselves to a surgical incision. Endometriosis Treatment in Hyderabad
Risk factors
There are several factors that put you at increased risk of developing endometriosis, such as:
- Never give birth
- Start your period at an early age
- Going through menopause at an older age
- Short menstrual cycles – for example, less than 27 days
- Heavy periods that last longer than seven days
- Higher levels of estrogen in your body or longer lifetime exposure to the estrogen that your body produces
- Low body mass index.