Unfortunately, endometriosis is a long-term chronic condition that can significantly impact on a woman's physical health, emotional wellbeing and daily routine.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Endometriosis can affect women of any age, including teenagers. It's a long-term condition that can have a significant impact on your life, but there are treatments that can help.
Does endometriosis go away after menopause? For some women, the painful symptoms of endometriosis improve after menopause. As the body stops making the hormone estrogen, the growths shrink slowly. However, some women who take menopausal hormone therapy may still have symptoms of endometriosis.
There's no cure for endometriosis and it can be difficult to treat. Treatment aims to ease symptoms so the condition does not interfere with your daily life.
Some women call the pain from endometriosis “killer cramps” because it can be severe enough to stop you in your tracks. For many, it gets worse as they get older. Other endometriosis symptoms include: Very long or heavy periods.
What are the risks of untreated endometriosis? Untreated endometriosis can cause significant pain, bloating, excess menstrual bleeding, and digestive distress.
The vast majority of cases of endometriosis occur in women between menarche and menopause. The peak of the disease falls in the period between 25 and 45 years of age [18].
Endometriosis is a chronic condition that develops and progresses over a long period of time. It can develop during early adolescence and gradually progress as a person reaches adulthood. A person can have endometriosis and experience no symptoms for a long time before suddenly experiencing symptoms later in life.
There is no cure for endometriosis. Hormone therapy or taking out tissue with laparoscopic surgery can ease pain. But pain often returns within a year or two. Taking out the ovaries (oophorectomy) and the uterus (hysterectomy) usually relieves pain.
You could be putting your health at risk if you don't get treatment. While they are unlikely to be fatal, they can have a negative impact on your quality of life. Untreated endometriosis can lead to a variety of complications, including: Pain that lasts for a long time.
Employment support
Endometriosis is a supported condition of the Disability Employment Services program. For more information, speak with APM about how we help people like you find meaningful work and get support to succeed in the workplace.
More than 830,000 (more than 11%) of Australian girls, women, and those assigned female at birth* live with endometriosis at some point in their life, with the disease often starting in teenagers. Symptoms are variable and this may contribute to the 6.5 year delay in diagnosis.
Clinical studies clearly indicate that endometriosis is a condition associated with high levels of chronic stress. The stress intensity correlates with pain severity and disease extension.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition that causes symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, irregular menstruation, and infertility. Some people report weight gain as a symptom of endometriosis, which may be attributed to abdominal bloating or treatments for the disease. Pain may indirectly contribute to weight gain.
Endometriosis does not necessarily cause infertility but there is an association with fertility problems, although the cause is not fully established. Even with severe endometriosis, natural conception is still possible. It is estimated that 60-70% of those with endometriosis can get pregnant spontaneously[1].
People with endometriosis stage 4 may have deep, penetrative implants (lesions) as well as scar tissue that extends beyond the reproductive organs. Affected areas can include the bladder, bowel, and rectum. 4 Endometriosis in these locations can cause significant pain during bowel movements and urination.
It is known that endometriosis can run in families, and therefore that genetic factors (heritability) play a role in how it develops in some women but not in others.