About Endometriosis

When I was first diagnosed with endometriosis I had no idea what it was. I had never heard of it before and no previous doctor had even hinted at the term. After being given a small, short pamphlet on the condition I was left thinking, Endo what?

After obsessive research I finally began to understand my body, something I had longed for since my symptoms first started a whole ten years prior. Below are the basic facts and statistics about the condition and how it effects the female body.

  • According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, “It occurs when tissue similar to the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) is found outside the uterus on other parts of the body.”
  • It affects an estimated 6.3 million women and girls in the U.S., about 176 million women worldwide, and is found in 1 in 10 women on average
  • Endometriosis cells can be found in various different locations, including outside of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, cervix, rectum, intestines, and even the appendix.
  • The tissue develops lesions and growths. These misplaced cells react to a period the same way the cells inside the uterus do. Every month the cells build up and then when a woman gets her period the blood cells break down. However, this blood has no way of leaving the body, causing monthly internal bleeding and intense, debilitating pain. These symptoms leave patients bedridden and exhausted.
  • Endometriosis leads to infertility, scar tissue, adhesions, and bowl and digestive problems.
  • Symptoms vary from patient to patient. These symptoms include VERY intense pelvic pain, long periods, heavy menstrual flow, nausea and/or vomiting, bowl and/or urinary disorders, and pain during sex.
  • Due to lack of knowledge about the disease of both doctors and patients, the average diagnosis period for women with endo is 10 years in the U.S. Often, women are not taken seriously or are misdiagnosed, leading to a delay in the proper diagnosis.
  • There is little known about the disease and there is NO cure. Even a hysterectomy will not relieve a patient of their symptoms.

The above information was taken from the official website of the Endometriosis Foundation of American  http://www.endofound.org/endometriosis and the official website of the Endometriosis Associationhttp://www.endometriosisassn.org/endo.html. More, in-depth information can be found on these websites.