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Endometriosis is a common disorder that affects women of reproductive age. It occurs when normal endometrial tissue (the lining of the uterus) grows outside the uterus. This misplaced tissue may implant itself and grow anywhere within the abdominal cavity.
Many specialists feel that severe endometriosis is more likely to be found in infertile women who have delayed pregnancy - and for this reason, the condition is sometimes labeled a "career woman's disease".
Endometrial tissue, whether it is inside or outside the uterus, responds to the rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone produced by the ovaries during the reproductive cycle. Under the influence of the hormones, the misplaced tissue swells; and when hormonal levels drop, the tissue may bleed. Unlike the normally situated endometrium, which is shed from the body as menstrual discharge, this blood and tissue have no outlet. They remain to irritate the surrounding tissue.
The disease is highly unpredictable. Some women may have just a few isolated implants that never spread or grow, while, in others, the disease may spread throughout the pelvis. Endometriosis irritates surrounding tissue and may produce web like growths of scar tissue called adhesions. The scar tissue can bind the pelvic organs and even cover them entirely. Many women who have endometriosis experience few or no symptoms. However, in some women, endometriosis may cause severe menstrual cramps, pain during intercourse, and infertility.
It is a disease that has been called an "enigma wrapped inside a mystery", and there is a lot about it that we do not understand as yet.
Several theories exist as to how endometriosis begins. One possibility is retrograde menstruation, the backward flow of the menstrual discharge through the fallopian tubes into the pelvis. According to this theory, the endometrial cells may implant on the ovaries or elsewhere in the pelvic cavity.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
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