Do You Know Endometriosis?

Endometriosis affects 5 million U.S. women, 200 million women worldwide, but many women have no idea just what it is. Endometriosis isn’t usually dangerous, but it can be quite painful and can lead to infertility. While there is no cure for the disease, we can treat your symptoms at Women’s Health Medical Group.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis usually occurs during a woman’s childbearing years. In preparation for implantation of a fertilized egg, the endometrium, the inner layer of the uterus, thickens. If the egg released from the ovary is not fertilized, then the thickened endometrium sheds as a normal part of the menstrual cycle. This process is your period.

If a girl or woman has endometriosis, some of this endometrial tissue doesn’t exit the body during menstruation. Instead, it becomes attached to the organs surrounding the uterus, such as the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, or the large and small intestines, creating lesions. These lesions respond to the monthly cycle, as the tissue did in the uterus, and they shed. This causes a variety of symptoms:

Bad cramps
Chronic lower back and pelvic pain
Pain during or after sex
Heavy and long menstrual periods
Infertility

Treatment

There is no cure for endometriosis, but our team at Women’s Health Medical Group will diagnose your endometriosis and will treat your symptoms. These are possible treatments we’ll use:

Anti-inflammatory drugs. These can reduce bleeding and pain.
Birth control pills. These are used often to treat endometriosis, but, can’t be used for women trying to become pregnant.
Hormone therapy. This stops menstrual cycles and shrinks implants. But, like birth control pills, this doesn’t do for women trying to become pregnant.
Laparoscopy. This surgery with an endoscope that is inserted through a tiny incision removes implants and scar tissue. Laparoscopy reduces the pain and can help patients become pregnant.

Do you have symptoms of endometriosis? Please call us at Women’s Health Medical Group, (817) 346-5336, to make an appointment.