What Causes Endometriosis?

The true cause of endometriosis is unknown, but there are a few widely accepted theories. If you have been diagnosed with endometriosis, then you may have some questions about its causes, problems, and symptoms.
Endometriosis is common for many women of childbearing age. It is usually found when a woman has problems conceiving and seeks the help of an infertility specialist. Endometriosis occurs when cells and tissues similar to your uterine lining grows outside of the uterus. The cells and implants can grow on your uterus, ovaries, inside of your abdominal cavity, and on surrounding organs. Endometriosis can cause serious, even life-threatening problems when it is left untreated.
Symptoms of endometriosis include pain, from mild to severe, abnormal bleeding, and infertility. Some women have undetectable symptoms and the endometriosis goes undiagnosed and untreated until it is discovered through infertility treatments. The only way for endometriosis to be definitively diagnosed is through a laparoscopic surgery.
Laproscopy involves a small laparoscope being inserted through a small incision in your belly. The scope is a long tube that allows your doctor to look around your abdominal cavity. Your reproductive organs will be inspected and biopsies may be taken for study in the lab. Laparoscopic surgery is also used to remove endometrial implants, cysts and scar tissue.
Endometrial tissues are the same types of cells that your uterine lining is composed of. Therefore, the endometriosis reacts to hormones in much the same way that your uterus does. As hormonal signals tell your uterus to grow a lining, the endometriosis also grows. When hormonal changes cause the lining to shed, such as in menstruation, the endometriosis also sheds. This can cause considerable pain and even the pooling of blood. Implants can grow and interupt the function of the organs that are near it.
The most common consensus among experts concerning the cause of endometriosis is that uterine lining cells when shed, travelled up through the fallopian tubes instead of out through the cervix. The cells were expelled from the fallopian tubes into the abdominal cavity, where they implanted and grew. Most endometriosis implants are usually located on the outside of the fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus.
No matter what the cause, endometriosis is a serious condition that should not be ignored. It is a progressive disease that only gets worse until menopause. It will not get better on its own. Pain is not an indicator of how severe endometriosis is. Mild pain can occur with severe endometriosis while severe pain can occur with mild endometriosis. If you suspect that you may have endometriosis, do not hesitate to get a diagnosis and immediately begin treatment.

About the Author: Eric Daiter is the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Dr. Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.

Treating Endometriosis with Medication

Endometriosis can cause many uncomfortable and painful symptoms. Endometriosis occurs when tissues similar to the uterine lining grow outside of the uterus. Many women with endometriosis may not even know it until they experience severe symptoms or go in for diagnostic infertility treatments.

Endometriosis can be severe and exhibit no symptoms. On the other hand, it can be mild and cause extreme pain. You can not tell how extensive endometriosis is judging by the symptoms you experience. Symptoms often cause chronic lower back pain and pelvic pain. Menstrual cramps and period pain can be severe as well. Many symptoms get worse over time, considering that endometriosis is a progressive disease. Heavy periods, irregular bleeding, pain during urination or bowel movements and infertility are common symptoms of endometriosis.

If you have been diagnosed with endometriosis, your doctor may prescribe medications to help manage your pain. If you are trying to conceive, you may elect to have laparoscopic surgery to remove as much of the endometriosis as possible. Talk with your doctor and infertility specialist about what options may be best for you.

Medications are generally not used for women trying to conceive because the medications themselves will keep you from ovulating. If you are only looking for pain management, then pain medications and hormone therapies may be effective for you, especially if symptoms are mild.

Pain can usually be managed with over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen. If not, then your doctor may prescribe a stronger pain reliever for you. If pain continues, then hormone therapy is the next step.

Endometriosis builds up and breaks down with your menstrual cycle just like your uterine lining does. This can cause blood and tissue to pool up inside of your abdomen and cause pain. Birth control pills are a common hormone treatment because they keep the body from building up and shedding these types of cells. Most birth control pills contain progestin and estrogen, and can relieve a lot of the pain caused by endometriosis. Keep in mind that symptoms could quickly return if you stop taking them. If you have problems with estrogen, your doctor can prescribe a birth control pill that only has progestin.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRH agonists) can stop or slow down the growth of endometrial tissue. GnRH agonists reduce the amount of estrogen that your body produces. This can really help with pain and other symptoms. GnRH agonists can lower your estrogen production so low that you may need to take some estrogen with it to prevent osteoporosis. Like birth control pills, symptoms can quickly return when you stop taking them.

Talk with your doctor about every option before taking medications to relieve your endometriosis symptoms.

About the Author: Eric Daiter is the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Dr. Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.