Hi everyone, this month is Endometriosis Awareness Month. I’m doing a post about it, as it is something close to my own heart. My eldest daughter suffers from this, and I must admit it is unbearable to see her go through that amount of pain every month, sometimes it just seemed to go on forever. This post is to raise awareness for all the females who suffer with this debilitating condition. I will tell you all about endometriosis and what it does to a women’s body, the difficulties it causes and so much more.
What Is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disorder where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow outside of your uterine cavity. The lining of your uterus is called the endometrium.
Endometriosis can affect women of all ages. This is a long term condition that makes a significant impact on your life. There is treatment available, but no treatment will cure you, so eventually you will be back to where you started from.
Endometrial tissue grows on your ovaries, bowel, and tissue that lines your pelvis. It is rare for endometrial tissue to spread beyond the pelvic region, but it’s not impossible. The Endometrial tissue which grows outside of the uterus is also known as endometrial implant. During your menstrual cycle your hormones change, and affects the endometrial tissue, where it becomes inflamed and very painful. It means the tissue, will grow, thicken and then lastly breaks down. The broken down tissue will eventually have no-where to go and then gets trapped in your pelvis
When the tissue is trapped in your pelvic region it can cause these types of problem:
- Irritation.
- Scar Formation.
- Adhesions, (where your tissue binds your pelvic organs together).
- Severe pain during periods.
- Fertility problems.
Endometriosis Stages
There are four stages to endometriosis.
- Minimal
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
There are different factors to determine on what stage of the disorder you are at. You have to factor in the location, number, size, and depth of the endometrial implants.
Stage 1: Minimal
The minimal stage of endometriosis as small lesions or wounds with shallow endometrial implants on your ovaries. It might also include inflammation in and around the pelvic region.
Stage 2: Mild
The mild stage involves light lesions with shallow implants on an ovary and pelvic lining.
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Stage 3: Moderate
The moderate stage involves having more lesions, and deep implants on your ovaries, and the lining of your pelvic region.
Stage 4: Severe
The severe stage of endometriosis, is by far the worst stage to have, which include deep implants on your pelvic lining and ovaries. There may also be lesions that occur on your fallopian tubes and bowels.
Endometriosis Symptoms
The symptoms surrounding endometriosis vary from person to person. The severity of the pain does not indicate the stage of the condition. One of the most common symptom of endometriosis is the pain. You may find you have the following symptoms:
- Painful Periods that stops you from doing your daily activities.
- Lower abdomen pain before and during menstruation.
- Cramps one or two weeks around menstruation.
- Infertility.
- Pain following sexual intercourse.
- Heavy menstrual bleed or bleeding in between periods.
- Any time during menstrual cycle having lower back pain.
- Discomfort with bowel movement.
There will be some that do not show any of these symptoms, so please go see your doctor to be referred on to see a gynaecologist, so that you get a proper diagnosis.
Endometriosis Treatment
It is understandable that no matter who you are, would like a quick relief from the pain you’re in. This condition can disrupt your life completely and it will only get worse the longer you leave it untreated. The one down side to this condition is that there is no cure to endometriosis, but there are different forms of treatment available that they can offer you some form of relief.
There are medical and surgical options available to reduce some of your symptoms, but that is usually a last resort option, as your doctor will try you on other treatment first.
Here are some treatment options:
- Pain Medication.
- Hormone Therapy.
- Hormonal Contraceptives.
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and antagonists.
- Danazol
- Conservative Surgery
- Last Resort Surgery (Hysterectomy).
Have a discussion with your gynaecologist and then decide which option best suits you.
16 Celebrities Who Suffers With Endometriosis
Even celebrities don’t escape the perils of this debilitating condition.
- Halsey
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Daisy Ridley
- Padma Lakshmi
- Susan Sarandon
- Jillian Michaels
- Cyndi Lauper
- Tia Mowry
- Dolly Parton
- Lena Dunham
- Jaime King
- Julianne Hough
- Amy Schumer
- Alexa Chung
- Mica Keeble (Please read her story)
Thank you for taking the time in reading this weeks post. See you all next week!
