Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. Endometriosis can start at a person's first menstrual period and last until menopause.
Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial-like tissue may be found beyond the area where pelvic organs are located.
Endometriosis is most commonly found in the pelvis. However, it is also found in organs not contiguous with the peritoneal cavity; these include the pericardium, lung, brain, and skin [3, 7, 8, 17–19].
In women with endometriosis, the tissue typically spreads into the pelvic area but in some cases can travel as far as the chest cavity. The endometrium, no matter where it spreads in the body, is on the same cycle as a woman's period, which is regulated by the female hormone estrogen.
Untreated endometriosis can cause significant pain, bloating, excess menstrual bleeding, and digestive distress. Over time, it can also affect a person's fertility. When endometriosis tissue grows outside the uterus, it can affect other organs — especially the ovaries and reproductive structures.
Stage 4 endometriosis life expectancy
Although it can affect your quality of life, it isn't considered to be a fatal disease. Endometriosis is associated with a small number of potentially fatal conditions, such as small bowel obstruction and ectopic pregnancy.
Retrograde menstrual flow is the most likely cause of endometriosis. Some of the tissue shed during the period flows through the fallopian tube into other areas of the body, such as the pelvis. Genetic factors. Because endometriosis runs in families, it may be inherited in the genes.
Endo belly is the colloquial term for abdominal distension caused by endometriosis. Unlike the short-term bloating that sometimes accompanies your period, endo belly is much more severe, triggering physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.
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.
Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis 2 (DIE II) The most severe form, it affects organs within and without the pelvic cavity, including the bowels, appendix, diaphragm, heart, lungs, and (rarely) the brain.
Endometriosis tissues are affected by hormones in the same way as endometrial tissues inside the uterus. Hormone changes that occur with a menstrual cycle can make endometriosis pain worse. Treatments that include hormone therapy can alter hormone levels or stop your body from producing certain hormones.
In bowel endometriosis, endometrium tissue grows on the surface of or inside the intestines, on the rectum, or in other parts of the bowel. This may cause: constipation. bloating or gas.
Endometriosis can have a range of symptoms such as heavy and painful periods, discomfort during and after intercourse and infertility. However, the condition can also cause abdominal bloating and general fatigue which are very common and often overlooked.
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.
Endometriosis is a serious health issue faced by many women, and it can also indirectly cause hair loss. Women have enough on their biological plate to deal, and so while hair loss might seem like an inconvenient man's problem, rest assured it's most likely a temporary dilemma.
Many women describe this pain as violent and like physical damage because of its strength and severity, and common descriptions are stabbing or twisting pain. This pain can be so intense that many people find it incredibly debilitating.
For many, it gets worse as they get older. Other endometriosis symptoms include: Very long or heavy periods. Severe cramps.
Endometriotic growths on the bowel or other abdominal organs can cause inflammation that leads to bloating, constipation, and other gastrointestinal symptoms that may contribute to weight gain.
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.
Another possible explanation for endometriosis in locations far from the uterus is that cells from the lining of the uterus travel through blood vessels or the lymphatic system, thereby reaching other distant organs or body areas. Endometriosis can also spread at the time of surgery.