Causes of endometriosis in women - signs and symptoms, treatment

Endometriosis is a gynecological disease of women of reproductive age. Many do not even suspect its presence, considering painful menstruation as the norm. How dangerous is endometriosis and what causes it?

Endometriosis Development Mechanism

Endometriosis has not yet been fully understood. It is not known exactly why some women miss it, while others have severe symptoms. With endometriosis, the cells of the inner shell of the uterus appear outside of it and begin to multiply there, forming patches of pathology. The average age of patients diagnosed with the disease is 25-30 years.

The term itself refers to the proliferation of the inner layer of the uterus - the endometrium. The natural growth occurs in every woman in the period before menstruation. Then the excess layer is rejected and leaves with a bleeding if the pregnancy has not occurred. This process is also accompanied by rupture of small vessels. However, it happens that blood from the vessels together with the endometrial cells is thrown into the abdominal cavity or fallopian tubes, where endometrial cells can settle down and begin to divide. Thus, external endometriosis occurs. Isolate also internal endometriosis, when the cells of this layer grow into the muscle - myometrium.

The development mechanism is thought to be associated with the endocrine system, especially the genital organs, since there is practically no disease during the menopause and childhood.

Pathologic foci of the embedded tissue function like the normal endometrium and are subject to cyclic changes in the hormonal background. Because of this, they cause inflammation, microcracks, fibrotic changes that affect other organs and lead to further health problems.

It is possible to single out such forms of the disease:

1. Genital. In turn, it is divided into outer( the body of the uterus is affected from the outside) and internal( the pieces of the endometrium grow into the muscle layer - the myometrium).
2. Extragenital. Sites of endometrial tissue are fixed in the peritoneum, intestines, ovaries, bladder and other organs.

Doctors classify 4 degrees of severity of endometriosis, depending on the extent of spread and the depth of the lesion of other tissues:

Severity	Nature of lesion
I	Single lesions
II	Discovered more deeply
III	A woman finds many deepfoci of lesions, as well as ovarian cysts
IV	Many areas with deep lesion with endometrial tissue, organ adhesion observed, affected inlining and rectum

Attention! Endometriosis can affect any organs, so sometimes patients do not know the connection of disturbing symptoms and gynecological disease.

Causes of endometriosis

The exact cause of this pathology is not established, but much attention is paid to the connection of endometriosis with the status of the hormonal background of a woman. Causes that can contribute to the appearance of abnormal tissue proliferation are:

1. Retrograde menstruation. It was found that many women in the genitals have a reverse blood flow. Normally, it does not have any negative effect on the body. However, in some menstruation with a return flow of blood into the fallopian tubes and the peritoneal cavity, the cells of the endometrium are flipped, which flake off during menstruation. It was this phenomenon that led to the prohibition of sexual relations and gynecological manipulations during the period of female hemorrhage.
2. There is a risk of endometrial cells entering the blood vessels or lymph nodes from where they can spread throughout the body. Such a mechanism resembles metastases of malignant tumors.
3. Impaired immune system. When a piece of the endometrium hits another tissue, the immune system does not reject it, but promotes engraftment and growth. This can be caused by malfunctions in the central nervous system, namely the neuro-endocrine connection of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovaries.
4. Tissue pathologies, for example, the phenomenon of metaplasia, or hormonal disorders, trigger the transformation of one tissue into another.
5. Hereditary predisposition.

Endometriosis of the cervix can occur after the procedure of moxibustion, abortion, trauma or diagnostic curettage. Endometriosis of the uterus can be a complication of inflammatory processes, complex births, abortions.

Warning! It is dangerous to do abortion precisely because this procedure is an operative intervention that disrupts the integrity of tissues and provokes many complications.

Symptoms of endometriosis

The disease is characterized by a long and progressive course. Without proper treatment, the symptomatology will worsen and worsen the patient more and more. Symptoms can subside during periods of extinction of ovarian function - during pregnancy and menopause. The strength of the manifestation of symptoms is individual - the disease can develop imperceptibly, and can have a complete clinical picture. At the same time, the intensity does not depend on the vastness of pathological foci. Single sites can cause the same symptoms as multiple sites.

It is possible to suspect endometriosis if you have these symptoms:

1. Pelvic pain that appears before menstruation or disturbs throughout the cycle. Sometimes painful feelings make a woman incapacitated and significantly worsen the quality of life. It is localized mainly in the lower abdomen, in the region of the lower back and the sacrum.
2. Menstrual bleeding becomes longer and more plentiful than before. They can be prolonged for 8 days or more, and during the intermenstrual period, spotting can be observed. The cycle in endometriosis becomes irregular.
3. Soreness in sexual intercourse.
4. The appearance of cysts on the ovaries.
5. Problems with conception, which are caused by pathological changes in the fallopian tubes and a violation of the function of the ovaries.
6. In severe lesions, pain may occur during defecation or urination.

Note! Regular gynecological examinations are not a whim of doctors, but a necessity for patients. They help to identify many diseases in the early stages with asymptomatic course.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing endometriosis can help:

1. Gynecological examination. Affected organs increase in size on the eve of menstruation, and ovarian cysts are found in any phase of the cycle.
2. Characteristic complaints of the patient, which are associated with the periodicity of the cycle.
3. Ultrasound investigation.
4. Colposcopy.
5. Special X-ray examination of the uterus and fallopian tubes.
6. Inspection by the hysteroscope.
7. Tomography.
8. Laparoscopy.

Note! Modern clinics include colposcopy or ultrasound in a basic set of procedures for a routine gynecological examination.

Treatment

The longer the disease develops, the more likely the infertility and other complications in women. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you consult a doctor in a timely manner and carry out preventive diagnostics. In treatment, the least invasive methods are preferred, but the degree of endometriosis damage must be taken into account.

The complex therapy scheme is aimed at:

1. Elimination of pain syndrome. A woman may be troubled by pain of varying intensity, but she definitely reduces her quality of life. Pain pain can be relieved with drugs from the analgesic group( Spasmalgone , Paracetamol ) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs( Nimesulide , Ketoprofen ).If oral contraceptives are included in the treatment plan( Marvelon, Triziston, Rigevidone and others), their action can also help reduce pain.
2. Restoration of a hormonal background. Medicamentous hormonal agents are still widely used for the treatment of endometriosis. Their action is aimed at reducing the effect of estrogen on the woman's body. Selection of the drug should be carried out on an individual basis and very carefully, taking into account the characteristics of the patient, the nature of the course of the underlying and accompanying diseases. The doctor may prescribe medications such as Letrozole, Anastrozole, Zoladex , progesterones( Dufaston, Utrozhestan ), oral contraceptives. Modern clinics offer a woman to do a procedure of laparoscopy, as a result of which lesions are removed surgically. Given the high probability of side effects from hormonal drugs, individual tolerability and long-term treatment, patients are increasingly choosing surgical intervention.
3. Removal of lesions. It is carried out by various methods, at the discretion of the attending physician. As a rule, this is laparoscopy, resection, laser vaporization, electrocoagulation. Modern techniques can effectively remove only lesions, leaving the organs themselves - the uterus and appendages. A radical solution with removal of organs is carried out in extreme cases.

Attention! Treatment of endometriosis is usually prolonged. Even after the operative resolution of the problem, the woman will need time and exact compliance with the prescription of the doctor. The tendency to endometriosis persists after recovery, so the doctor can prescribe a scheme of maintenance therapy, which will need to be observed for several years.

Is there any chance of getting pregnant with endometriosis?

Problems with conception, definitely, can arise for the following reasons:

1. Disorders in the process of maturation of the egg.
2. Problems with ovulation and attachment of the egg to the bottom of the uterus.
3. The presence of spikes in the genitals.

However, such violations do not mean infertility, but only complicate the process of conception. After treatment of endometriosis, you can plan a child, and the probability of getting pregnant is much higher than zero.

Video - Endometriosis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment