Endometriosis is the cause of infertility in every third woman. Usually it occurs due to hormonal disorders. But if earlier this disease was detected among women who crossed the 35-year mark, now it can even be found in 20-year-olds. It is not so easy to detect it, because painful menstruation, headaches, discomfort in the lower abdomen at the time of sexual intercourse are ambiguous symptoms, they can either be a manifestation of endometriosis or not. On ultrasound, it can also not be seen immediately. But still, this is a fairly serious disease, sometimes requiring even surgical intervention. So what is endometriosis and how to treat it? This disease is a kind of growths, which in their structure are very similar to the uterine mucosa, but they spread not only inside the uterus, but also far beyond the usual location of the endometrium. This disease has more than ten classifications and can affect almost any internal organs.
Gynecology: endometriosis, symptoms
The key manifestations of this disease are usually lasting throughout the month of pain in the lower abdomen, as well as in the lumbar region, which intensify before critical days and after them. Menstruation itself is also very painful. If endometriosis spreads to the rectum or bladder, pain will occur during bowel movements and, accordingly, during urination. In some cases, the focus of endometriosis does not have any particular painful manifestations, but at the same time it contributes to the formation of adhesions, as well as obstruction of the fallopian tubes, therefore, it has every chance of leading to infertility. Women with endometriosis are distinguished by irritability, unbalanced psyche, tearfulness. But the diagnosis can be made only after a comprehensive examination, which includes ultrasound and clinical studies. Often, this disease is accompanied by others: inflammation, fibroids, erosion.
The most characteristic symptom of uterine endometriosis (also called adenomyosis) is spotting spotting before and after critical days. Often the cause of this disease is thyroid disease.
Gynecology: endometriosis, diagnosis
The initial diagnosis is based on the above symptoms and complaints of patients. Studies have found that about 40% of women with endometriosis cannot get pregnant. The diagnosis is confirmed or refuted with a more thorough gynecological examination, as well as by ultrasound, hysteroscopy, hysterosalpingography, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), as well as a result of blood tests for tumor markers and hormonal levels . To cure endometriosis, they often resort to the use of hormone replacement therapy, as well as radon baths. In severe cases, resort to surgery (laparoscopy), radiation therapy. Depending on the severity of endometriosis, complex treatment can last for six months or several years. The most difficult stage is the fourth.
Gynecology: endometriosis and pregnancy
Does this disease prevent pregnancy? After all, it is considered one of the main causes of infertility, and so many women are wondering if there is still a chance to conceive a child? As practice shows, the diagnosis of "endometriosis" is not synonymous with the word "infertility", and, therefore, can not prevent pregnancy as such. The only thing is that it reduces the chances of conceiving, so you should choose the right treatment that will increase the capabilities of the female body. Moreover, endometriosis can occur simultaneously with pregnancy, and this is very good, because, due to the absence of menstruation, the growth of foci of the disease is simply suppressed by itself. There are many examples when women, even with the 4th stage of the disease, were bearing and safely giving birth to babies. But it is important to remember that after childbirth these foci can come to life again, so do not delay the treatment and allow the endometrium to germinate in the tissue.
If you cannot get pregnant even after treatment, in vitro fertilization can come to the rescue. IVF with endometriosis can be called quite an effective method, since it, on the one hand, actively stimulates the ovaries, and on the other hand, does not provoke the growth of foci of the disease. This method is able to help even women with a fairly severe stage of the disease, as well as with a large number of adhesions in the pelvis, with poor functioning of the fallopian tubes, and low fertility.
Thus, according to gynecology, endometriosis is a serious disease that, with proper treatment, does not take away the hope of motherhood.