Endometriosis: A Chronic Disease You May Have and Don't Know It

Decades ago, in 1993, an American NGO, the Endometriosis Association , decided to designate the month of March as the period of public information and awareness about endometriosis. Over the years, many organizations around the world, both public and private, began to create awareness campaigns about the disease, however, despite the fact that we have all heard the term “endometriosis”, we know much less about it than we should.

Endometriosis affects 10% of women of all ages , and if this number seems small to you, on a global level it translates into millions of patients who, in most cases, have received an incorrect or no diagnosis for their problem, the consequences of which, however, often afflict them, significantly lowering their quality of life, as they have a physical and psychological impact.

Simply put, endometriosis is a condition where cells that line the uterus are found in places outside of it, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other parts of the pelvis. When these cells accumulate in such places, they can cause problems for the woman, either causing light periods and, consequently, blood-filled cysts, or causing lumps deeper in the tissues. Especially in the latter case, the symptoms of endometriosis are particularly painful and are often not diagnosed immediately.

Regarding the causes of the disease, various theories have been developed over time , such as that of the retrograde flow of blood during menstruation, and the deposition of endometrial cells in other places, while other studies support that the disease is caused by genetic factors. In any case, endometriosis is the result of various hormonal events and the clinical picture of each woman, combined with the symptoms that she herself describes experiencing, require special attention from specialists, so that the diagnosis and treatment can be carried out correctly and promptly.

The symptoms of endometriosis vary depending on the case, but the most characteristic ones are dysmenorrhea (severe period pain), which even worsens over the years, pain during and after sexual intercourse, heavy and long-lasting menstruation, pain in the back of the pelvis, as well as various gastrointestinal problems. Each case has a different severity, depending on the length of time the patient has been suffering, the organs of the body affected by endometriosis and the extent to which it has spread. Endometriosis also significantly affects female fertility since it creates adhesions in the genitals and especially in the case of women of reproductive age who wish to have children naturally and have not been able to do so for a long time, the possibility of endometriosis must definitely be checked by specialists.

Endometriosis can be diagnosed and treated early, but in some cases it may be asymptomatic . From the moment our period first arrives, we must observe our body and, especially if there are other women in the family with the same problem, ask specialists for their special attention, as on average 7 to 8 years pass from the appearance of the first symptoms to the positive diagnosis of a case of endometriosis. The reasons for this delay in diagnosis are many and are related, among other things, to the medical experience of each specialist and to the extent to which women are listened to by them when they report such symptoms and these are not underestimated.

To treat the disease, there are some medications that may simply delay its spread. To diagnose a woman with endometriosis and, above all, to get rid of it, the most appropriate way is laparoscopy . This is the appropriate method to identify all foci of the disease and remove them accurately and safely, drastically reducing the chances of repeating the operation in the future. In some cases, the disease can also be diagnosed by palpation or vaginal ultrasound, as in the case of endometriosis cysts located in the ovaries.