Endometriosis... Old disease in this modern age

OK so i must admit i stole this from someone else's page but rightfully soo it shows our life and the wrath this disease has on us..

Endometriosis is one of the most far-reaching, devastating and misunderstood diseases in the world today. It is estimated that there are over 70 million women and girls who have Endometriosis world-wide. It is more common than breast cancer or Aids, and many other diseases, that are well known. Despite the huge numbers of women who suffer from this disease, few people have actually heard of it, but this is gradually changing, though very slowly.This disease is becoming more and more common. It seems to be gaining ground. This could be for a variety of reasons. The methods of detecting and diagnosing the disease are improving all the time, so statistics reflect this as growing numbers of cases are detected. The seriousness of the disease is gradually gaining momentum and more people are finally beginning to hear about it. This may be through television programs, magazine articles, the internet, or talking to friends. So there is an ever increasing public awareness. This public awareness helps to alert women who have concerns about their health, especially regarding pelvic and menstrual pain, so more women are able to determine whether they have Endometriosis. More women are taking their pelvic pain and period pain seriously, rather than thinking of it as normal, so they are pursuing answers from the medical profession. Finally, the numbers of women who have the disease appears to be increasing in actuality, especially in the last 30 years or so. It is also more common in industrial countries, where pollution is higher.

SO WHAT IS ENDOMETRIOSIS AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

Fundamentally, Endometriosis is a serious biological malfunction which focuses on the reproductive organs and the pelvic region of a woman’s body. This disease will start quietly, insidiously and unnoticed. Then gradually symptoms of painful periods, pain at other times of the month, and a general feeling of being run-down, will start to develop. In women with Endometriosis, the natural bodily processes of the reproductive system goes seriously wrong. The disease is linked and affected by the menstrual cycle and the hormones that make menstruation happen. Physically, what happens is that tiny, and sometimes microscopic particles that are similar to the lining of the womb, find their way into the pelvic cavity. These particles behave in the same manner as the lining of the womb. The lining of the womb is called the endometrium, which is where this disease gets its name. The natural process of the endometrium is to react with hormones produced in the body and each month the endometrium builds up with blood cells and other chemicals to prepare for pregnancy. When pregnancy does not occur then the endometrium sheds this blood and women have a period. A similar reaction takes place in the stray cells that have found their way into the pelvic cavity. Each month they react to hormones, and break down and bleed, but the blood and tissue shed from these endometrial growths has no way of leaving the body. This results in internal bleeding, breakdown of the blood and tissue from these sites and leads to inflammation.

This process continues for months, or even years before symptoms of serious pain begins to develop. Many women start to suspect something is wrong because the amount of pain they feel with their periods starts to get worse and worse as the months go by. It is then that women start to investigate and question the state of their health. For other women the disease may not throw up any noticeable symptoms, but they may be having problems with their fertility and are not successful in conceiving. It is then that they seek medical advice which could lead to having a laparoscopy. It is during this procedure that the disease may be found.

As time goes by, this disease will progress and start to do more damage in the pelvic cavity. Eventually it can lead to scar tissue formation, adhesions, bowel problems, as well as a gradual decline in general health.

ENDOMETRIOSIS IN CONTEXT

Endometriosis is not usually fatal (though there can be rare occasions where the symptoms can pose a serious threat to life and it is not cancer. It is not a disease that you catch from another person, nor is it a micro-organism that starts this disease like the processes of other infectious diseases. Basically it appears that the body, and its natural healing processes are defective. It can strike women at any time of their reproductive life but we are seeing more and more cases of young girls who have Endometriosis. Recent studies are beginning to indicate that women with the disease are at greater risk of other health problems, but this could be an indicator that women with this disease are actually suffering from a break-down in the immune system. This situation seems to ‘ring true’ as many women who have Endometriosis seem to suffer from a myriad of other health problems.

Endometriosis is serious. It is affecting millions of women around the world. It is not simply disrupting women’s lives, it can be devastating for most women. It affects her health, her quality of life, her possibilities of having children, her income earning potential, her emotional well-being, her relationships, her sex life, her economics if she lives in a country where she has to pay for treatment, her social life; in essence it affects her entire life.

These are the hard facts that surround Endometriosis today. Many women suffer for years and years. They may have one surgical procedure after another. They may spend thousands of dollars on treatment, especially if their health insurance does not cover it. They may travel miles in pursuit of sympathetic and informed medical treatment. This list goes on and on.

But there are some glimmers of hope beginning to appear. Many women today are beginning to take care of their own health with regard to dealing with Endometriosis. They are starting to realize that all is not clear cut with the objectives and priorities regarding health care in the modern world.

The hope and courage for many women is gained through gathering and sharing information, especially from other women who have the disease. Many self-help measures are being exchanged between fellow sufferers, and where these measures are proving successful, this instills the value and proof that these methods will help.

Endometriosis Symptoms
The symptoms of Endometriosis vary from one woman to another but the most common symptom is pelvic pain.

One of the biggest problems regarding Endometriosis is that the signs of this disease in the early stages, appear to be the ‘normal’ bodily changes that take place with the menstrual cycle.It is only as time goes by that a woman begins to suspect that what is happening, and the symptoms she feels, are not normal. The pain of her menstrual cycle gradually and steadily becomes worse and worse as the months go by.

This is only the beginning of what will become a gradual decline in a woman’s general health, as well as the health of her reproductive system.Having said that, there are odd instances where some women do actually have Endometriosis, but they are nearly free of any symptoms. These women will only be diagnosed by default, for example when they have surgery for other issues, and only then is Endometriosis found. That is what makes this disease so mysterious.
Endometriosis does not follow any distinct pattern, which is why it is difficult for the medical profession to know that a woman has the disease.

Some of the symptoms will mimic those of other health problems, including:

• . ovarian cysts
• . ectopic pregnancy
• . Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• . irritable bowel syndrome
• . ovarian cancer
• . fibroid tumors
• . colon cancer
• . appendicitis

The most common symptoms of Endometriosis are:

• Pain before and during periods
• Pain with intercourse
• General, chronic pelvic pain throughout the month
• Low back pain
• Heavy and/or irregular periods
• Painful bowel movements, especially during menstruation
• Painful urination during menstruation
• Fatigue
• Infertility
• Diarrhoea or constipation

Other symptoms which are common with Endometriosis include:

• Headaches
• Low grade fevers
• Depression
• Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
• Anxiety
• Susceptibility to infections, allergies
• In the later stages of Endometriosis, adhesions usually develop in the pelvic cavity, which are caused by untreated cysts, which can ‘glue’ pelvic organs together. These adhesions will seriously interfere with normal functions of organs in the pelvis, causing bowel obstructions, digestive problems, infertility, urinary problems, agonizing pains when the adhesions are pulled, mobility problems.

As Endometriosis develops a woman’s immune system becomes more and more impaired and this leads to further health problems. Due to increased research, as well as surveys of Endometriosis patients, it is now becoming clear that women with the disease are susceptible to other serious health problems including:

• . Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (100 times more common in women with endometriosis)
• . Hypothyroidism - under-active Thyroid gland (7 times more common in women with endometriosis)
• . Fibromyalgia
• . Rheumatoid arthritis

It does seem clear that as women with Endometriosis are more receptive to other health problems, then their immune system is the key to their problems.

No two women will have the same symptoms for Endometriosis, and will not suffer the same knock-on health problems, but the most common symptom experienced among Endometriosis sufferers is acute pain.In some instances the pain of Endometriosis can prohibit a woman to contribute in every day activities as well as her ability to sustain a career.