Endometriosis has been in the spotlight recently, with reports that Ex-Spice Girl, Emma Bunton, also known as Baby Spice, has been diagnosed with the condition.
Reports that the 29-year-old singer was "petrified she may never be able to have children after being diagnosed with endometriosis", have made many people wonder what this condition is and how it can be diagnosed and treated. Many myths surround this disease – what is the truth about endometriosis?
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What is endometriosis?
When a woman has endometriosis, tissue similar to that of the lining of the uterus starts growing in the abdomen and elsewhere in a woman's body. The tissue responds to hormonal fluctuations in a woman's menstrual cycle. As the condition advances, it causes lesions, growths, scar tissue on the uterus, ovaries, and other areas in the lower abdomen, often blocking the fallopian tubes.
It is incurable, but not fatal, and usually disappears with menopause. The pain can be treated, and the disease can be controlled with hormones and surgery.
It is a condition that is not easy to diagnose, and there's a lot of speculation surrounding its association with infertility.
"Endometriosis is diagnosed in a higher proportion of infertile women", according to Dr Philip Zinn, Cape Town gynaecologist.
The association is obscure but if endometriosis causes distortions of the fallopion tubes by adhesions, it is obviously a cause of infertility. It is also known as the "silent invader", and it often escapes notice until a woman tries to conceive.
The cause of endometriosis is unknown. It's even been labelled "a career woman's disease", as many specialists believe endometriosis is more likely to be found in women who have delayed pregnancy to their 30s. But this is not always the case. So how is this condition diagnosed?
Symptoms and diagnosis
Endometriosis cannot be diagnosed from symptoms alone. While a physician may suspect it, the disease can only be confirmed by a laparoscopy, which is a keyhole incision enabling doctors to do pelvic examination.
The most common symptoms experienced by women with endometriosis are:
Painful and irregular periods
Pain during intercourse
Pelvic pain, bowel movements and constipation
Infertility
While some of these symptoms can also point towards other conditions, Dr Zinn says a periods that become progressively worse as well as pain during intercourse, should alert a woman to the possibility of endometriosis. It is advisable to be screened as soon as possible.
Treatment
In most cases the surgeon will treat the endometriosis during the laporoscopy. Hormonal medication can also be used in treating this condition. The goal is to inhibit the hormones that cause the disease and to simulate pregnancy or menopause.
There are various pharmaceutical options that inhibit the growth of the endometrial cells. Birth control pills to be taken continuously are often prescribed. In these cases, women will not take the seven placebos that are contained in every pack of pills, and will therefore not have a simulated monthly period, as other women would.
Ultimately, surgery may be needed to improve fertility by removing adhesions, lesions, nodules or endometrial cells. It's important to know that these treatments cannot cure the disease, but can merely control it. If a woman still fails to conceive a child even after surgical treatment, there are still options such as in-vitro fertilisation.
A study reported on in a recent South African Medical Journal, concluded that infertility is a major problem in South Africa, with blockages of the tubes a common cause.Most women who have endometriosis, experience these problems.
Endometriosis is a disease that requires patience. It is therefore also important that a woman finds a specialist who is up-to-date with the latest treatment available for endometriosis management.
(Rene Lötter, Health24)
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