Endometriosis

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition of the reproductive organs, causing heavy, painful menstruation, and potentially affecting fertility.

The endometrium is the lining of your uterus, which is shed monthly during your period. In women who have endometriosis, endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, most often on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and nearby tissues. In some cases, endometriosis spreads to other organs outside the pelvic region.

The endometrial tissue growing outside your uterus behaves in the same way as the endometrium; it thickens, sheds, and bleeds every time you menstruate. The blood and shed tissues get trapped inside your body, irritating the surrounding organs and tissues, and causing the formation of scar tissue.

What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain that typically worsens during your period. Other symptoms you may experience are usually worse during menstruation, or may only occur during your period. Common symptoms include:

• Lower back pain
• Abdominal pain
• Painful intercourse
• Painful bowel movements
• Pain when urinating
• Excessive menstrual bleeding
• Bleeding between periods

If you’re hoping to start a family, endometriosis can cause problems with conception, and for many women, diagnosis occurs as a result of investigations into infertility.

Risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing endometriosis include:

• Never having been pregnant
• Menstrual cycles that last less than 27 days
• Heavy periods that last more than seven days
• Family history of endometriosis

Endometriosis most often develops from the late teens. Many women find symptoms reduce when they’re pregnant.

What treatments are available for endometriosis?

At Evergreen Women's Health, PC., our providers provide you with a personalized, holistic treatment plan. Depending on the severity of your endometriosis symptoms and needs, she might recommend hormone therapy to alleviate your symptoms. You might also benefit from over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce menstrual cramping. 

For a long-term solution to endometriosis, your provider may suggest laparoscopic surgery. A laparoscope is a thin tube with a camera attached. It’s inserted into your body through very small incisions. As the images project onto a screen in the operating room, Dr. McNally can confirm your diagnosis and find areas of endometrial growth. She then inserts small surgical instruments to remove the abnormal endometrium.

Laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive and usually involves a shorter recovery as compared to traditional open surgery. But in severe cases, when other treatments haven't relieved your symptoms, and you're not planning on having more children, Dr. McNally might recommend a hysterectomy.

If you suffer from endometriosis, call the office of Evergreen Women's Health, PC. to learn about your treatment options.