Endometriosis In Women, 9 Facts You Need To Know

Doctor's illustration (Freepik/Diana.grytsku)

JAKARTA – Great pain during menstruation certainly does not make you feel comfortable. In fact, it can interfere with mental health because of the desire to enter destiny as a woman because of the onset of 'monthly' pain.

Regarding menstrual pain is closely related to endometriosis experienced by 1 in 10 women. But based on data from Medical News Today, the diagnosis of pain during menstruation often takes a long time. Then it would be nice to recognize the facts related to endometriosis.

Reported from Mental Floss, Monday, April 12, endometriosis symptoms often feel flatulence, heavy menstruation and even infertility. In order to be diagnosed and treated immediately, here are the full facts about endometriosis in women.

A rare condition

Endometriosis is experienced by women ranging in age from 15 to 49 years. This means that teenagers can also experience endometriosis.

Endometriosis comes from the endometrium, a thin layer that lines a woman's uterus. Kristin Patzkowsky, MD., assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said endo -- a term for endometriosis -- is a tissue condition similar to endometrium growing outside the uterus.

No exact cause

In the menstrual cycle, every woman experiences retrograde menstruation. Retrograde menstruation occurs when menstrual blood flows backwards, passes through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity. Mestruation carries the endometrium and this backflow away from the uterus to another location.

Like the digestive tract, lungs, and even to the brain. Although almost all women experience retrograde mestruation but not all women are exposed to endo. Some researchers suspect it caused an imbalance of reproductive hormones.

There are also those who argue that the immune system should inhibit but support endo growth outside its normal location.

Pain is the most common symptom

Some women with endo feel pain in the back or chest. Others feel uncomfortable during and after sex or feel intense pain during menstruation.

The second symptom is because the pelvic area serves as an intersection for various organ systems. There are even women who experience endo and the symptoms include all of the above coming simultaneously.

Patzkowsky said of a study that found that nearly 90 percent of women with endo experience depression and anxiety.

The most unfavorable effects

Half of infertile or infertile women suffer from endo and vice versa, 50 percent of women with endo are infertile. This fact is actually unknown mechanisms affect each other by doctors because the occurrence of endometriosis is also uncertain.

Endo is often undiagnosed

One in 10 teenagers and pubescent women worldwide have an endo. That means, in the United States there are 6.5 million women of reproductive age who can experience endo. Of these, experts say the number is higher because many women are undiagnosed.

Illustration of women's menstrual pain (Freepik/Dragana_Gordic)

This happens because some women ignore endometriosis pain and consider it regular monthly pain although not all pain is diagnosed as endo.

Needs special checks

The gynaecologist will examine the pelvis, especially the scarring area behind the woman's uterus. The area is the most common place where the endometrium grows. The examination will be done by ultrasound or MRI to be valid.

However, actually the sure way to check the endo is laparoscopic with a biopsy. Furthermore, the doctor will examine the possibility of conceiving using endometriosis fertility index, woman's age, reproductive history, infertility, and endo severity.

Needs treatment to reduce the size of lesions

Endo lesions affect the rate of pregnancy. If the woman who has endo and wants to be pregnant may prescribe hormone inhibitors. The treatment period usually lasts between a few weeks to several months.

After deflating, treatment was stopped and the woman's body began producing estrogen again.

Illustration of doctor consultation (Freepik/tirachardz)

Endo can be very detrimental

Because pain is not beneficial both physically and mentally, then endo if not treated appropriately will be detrimental. According to a 2011 study, 1,400 endo women lost 11 hours of work each week.

Another study conducted in 2012 estimated endo harms women by $10,000 annually.

Diagnosed endo is not the end of the world

Many women with endometriosis can lead happy lives. Many also have the opportunity to get pregnant and succeed.

"Endo is not the same as infertility," explains Patzkowsky.

Considering health is the key to happiness, including reproductive health in women, then if you feel unusual pain or annoying symptoms it is worth consulting a gynecologist.