Alert from the deep female (EN)

Endometriosis causes pelvic pain and is a possible cause of infertility.

Very painful menses, cramps in the abdomen, absence of the period, fatigue and tiredness can be due to endometriosis. But, as the symptoms of the disease are varied and can change from one patient to another, this pathology is difficult to detect. In fact, some women have taken years to be diagnosed with endometriosis.

During menstruation, a woman's body sheds the endometrium, the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus. However, in women with endometriosis, some of these fluids remain in the body and implant outside the uterus.

"Although confusion and misinformation continue to surround the disease, the deep and agonizing pain caused by endometriosis can be treated and, in many cases, quite successfully. Unfortunately, due to a lack of awareness in society and in In the medical community, many women are told that they must endure their discomfort for years with powerful painkillers and hormones, which only masks the symptoms of the disease"

Endometriosis is a complex, unknown and very common disease among women of childbearing age, affecting between 5% and 30% of women. It is caused by the presence of endometrium outside the uterus, in the pelvis, which produces adhesions and cysts.

Approximately 176 million women in the world suffer from endometriosis. The main symptoms of the disease are pelvic pain and infertility.

Experts detail that in the lesions generated by endometriosis, nerve fibers are trapped that cause pain with menstruation, urination, defecation and sexual intercourse, among other variables.

Unknown origin

In addition to causing pain, endometriosis can harm the ability to conceive. "Infertility is caused by ovarian damage or damage to the fallopian tubes that these adhesions and cysts induce,". The difficulty in having children "makes many of these women resort to assisted reproduction."

Studies indicate that 50% of women with fertility disorders could suffer from endometriosis. This disease is among the 3 main causes of female infertility. "Although it is one of the most treatable, it is the least treated."

Although there is no consensus on the origin of endometriosis, stem cells, genetics, a dysfunctional immune response and environmental triggers may be part of the multifactorial origin of the disease.

Specialist indicates that since little is known about the causes of endometriosis. "The most accepted theory is that of retrograde menstruation, which holds that part of the menstrual flow drains into the pelvis in most women"

Diagnosis and treatment

• Diagnosing endometriosis is not easy because there are no useful markers. "The clinical history of the patient, a detailed examination, imaging techniques such as vaginal ultrasound or even magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will help us. But the definitive diagnosis is made by biopsy of these lesions and, for this, laparoscopy is needed.

• Due to the difficulties involved in its diagnosis, endometriosis can be confused with disorders such as adenomyosis, appendicitis, ovarian cysts, intestinal obstruction, colon cancer, ectopic pregnancy, inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome, among others. Endometriosis is not contagious and cannot be prevented, but it is treatable. In this sense, specialists indicate that it can be symptomatic, with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, fundamentally ibuprofen; or with hormones (gestagens or oral contraceptives).