Endometriosis affects an estimated 5 million women of reproductive age in the United States, and an additional 500,000 women in Canada. With endometriosis, tissue normally found in the uterus (i.e., the endometrium) is also found in other areas, such as the ovaries, the bowel and the bladder, causing internal bleeding. Scar tissue, inflammation and other problems can develop, resulting in severe pain, infertility, and even bowel obstruction. The disease affects women of all races and socioeconomic groups, starting in their teenage years through middle age. 47% of women diagnosed with endometriosis had symptoms before age 20. The cause of the disease is unknown, although many theories trying to explain why it happens have been advanced.
Symptoms of endometriosis include:
Chronic pelvic pain
Painful periods
Pain during sex
Ongoing fatigue
Painful urination or bowel movements during periods
Low resistance to infections
Extensive allergies
Difficulty becoming pregnant
How is endometriosis diagnosed?
The symptoms above will alert your physician to the possibility of endometriosis. He or she may do a physical exam, looking for cysts and nodules and areas of tenderness or thickening in your pelvis. For a definitive diagnosis, a procedure known as "laparoscopy" is required. This surgical procedure is usually done as an outpatient procedure. After anesthesia is administered, a small cut is made in or near your belly button and gas (carbon dioxide) is instilled to distend the abdomen. Then, a special thin scope is inserted, allowing your doctor to "visualize" or see the internal organs and pelvic cavity. By performing a laparoscopy, your doctor can determine the size, location, and number of endometrial growths. Sometimes, tissue will be removed to confirm the diagnosis. In other cases, your doctor will remove endometrial growths, as part of the treatment, at the same time he or she does the laparoscopy.
Treatment options for endometriosis run the gamut from symptomatic (pain) relief and medications to suppress further growth of endometrial tissue to surgery. Many women affected by endometriosis can live reasonably normal lives. But some women can't long escape the pain, which ranges from mild to excruciating. In some cases, the disease can cause very severe, chronic pain and emotional stress, and make it difficult or impossible for those affected to carry on their normal business and personal activities. This can lead to serious financial difficulties and relationship problems. There is no reason for any woman with endometriosis to suffer in silence or go it alone.
Endometriosis Association
8585 N. 76th Place
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53223 USA
(800) 992-3636 (US, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas)
(800) 426-2END (Canada)
(414) 355-2200
FAX: (414) 355-2200
http://www.dunwoodymed.com/endo
Endometriosis information page at the Atlanta Reproductive Health Centre
http://www.mindspring.com/~mperloe/endohtml.html
Endometriosis Care Center
4575 N. Shallowford Road
Atlanta, GA 30338
http://www.mindspring.com/~mperloe/ecc.html
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(ACOG)
409 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20024-2188
(202) 638-5577