Women have a lot of diseases related to typical women's health. All of them in one way or another affect the reproductive system of a woman, reducing the likelihood of pregnancy. Half the trouble, if the disease somehow manifests itself. But there are processes that a woman does not even know about.
One of these diseases is endometriosis. Endometriosis has recently become a very common disease. Why is this happening? What provokes the development of endometriosis and how to detect it, read on estet-portal.com.
Organs that can be affected by endometriosis
Endometriosis is a process of proliferation of cells of the uterine mucosa in various organs. Organs that are affected by endometriosis can be both genital (fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterine ligament, vagina) and extragenital (umbilical ring, bladder, intestines, rectum).
The lining of the uterus changes under the influence of the female hormone estrogen. Under the influence of estrogen, the epithelial cells of the uterine lining grow. It occurs in the first half of the menstrual cycle. With a sharp drop in the concentration of estrogen, the cells begin to break down. This occurs before menstruation and promotes shedding of the lining of the uterus, which was preparing to receive a fertilized egg.
When cells of the epithelium of the uterine mucosa are transferred to other organs, the same processes occur, and endometriosis develops.
Three theories of endometriosis
There are three theories of endometriosis - endocrine, autoimmune and mechanical.
- Endocrine theory. Following this theory, in the presence of hormonal disorders, one type of tissue - the coelomic epithelium is transformed into another type. This is how endometrioid cysts form. This theory is supported by the fact that women with normal endocrine function very rarely suffer from endometriosis.
- Autoimmune theory. According to this theory, women who suffer from endometriosis have impaired immune systems. This has been confirmed by studies of women with endometriosis. It was revealed that they have the activity of the pathological nature of polyclonal B-cells.
- The mechanical theory is that there is an increased risk of disease in women who have sex during their periods. When the uterus contracts during orgasm, menstrual flow can enter the tubes and ovaries. Also susceptible to endometriosis are women who have undergone surgery on the pelvic organs, who have been injured during a gynecological examination or childbirth. The fact is that with these manipulations there is a high risk of epithelium from the uterine mucosa getting into other organs.
Symptoms of endometriosis. How not to miss the disease?
Very often, a woman may not even be aware that she has endometriosis. The only reason for visiting a gynecologist is not the desired pregnancy. But in most cases, there are symptoms of endometriosis, and their manifestation is regarded as other processes and symptoms. And yet, a woman should listen to her body and pay more attention to it. Seek medical attention at the first appearance of symptoms.
Symptoms of endometriosis:
- menstrual irregularities;
- dark spotting of a smearing nature a few days before menstruation and a few days after;
- abundant periods;
- discomfort and pain during intercourse and/or bowel movements;
- constant pulling pains of varying intensity in the lower abdomen;
- pain during gynecological examination and/or urination;
- staining urine red;
- painful menstruation.
Early detection of endometriosis symptoms can prevent complications such as infertility. For early detection, only a gynecological examination is not enough. Endometriosis can be seen on pelvic ultrasound, MRI, or during laparoscopy with biopsy.
Treatment and prevention of endometriosis
Treatment of endometriosis is selected by the doctor separately for each patient. There are 3 main approaches to treatment - conservative, surgical, combination of surgical and conservative.
Conservative method - Endometriosis responds well to treatment with hormonal drugs that inhibit the growth of endometrioid cells. These are progesterone preparations, GnRH analogues and synthetic androgens. The course of treatment lasts from 3 months to a year.
Operative method - the volume of surgical intervention depends on the activity of the pathological process and on the desire to become pregnant. A conservative operation consists in cauterization of endometriosis foci and dissection of adhesions around the ovaries and tubes that provoke pain. Semi-conservative is the removal of the uterus. In this case, the ovaries remain intact. Radical surgery - removal of the uterus with ovaries.
To prevent endometriosis, women are advised not to have sex during menstruation. If possible, do not delay the pregnancy period, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
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