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Endometriosis is one of the diseases that can interfere with conceiving a baby. It is a condition in which cells which normally
line the womb are found elsewhere in the body. Endometriosis can appear in various places in the body, most commonly in the
fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the bladder, the bowel, the intestines, the vagina, and the rectum.
The endometriosis cells behave in the same way as those that line the womb, so every month they grow during the menstrual
cycle and then shed blood. Normally before a period, the lining of the womb (the endometrium) thickens in preparation for
a fertilised egg. When pregnancy does not happen, this lining is shed from the body as menstrual blood. Endometrial tissue
in other organs affected by endometriosis body will go through the same process of thickening and bleeding, but it has no
way of leaving the body. The endometrial tissue remains within the body which leads to pain, swelling and bleeding wherever
the tissue is.
The most common symptom of endometriosis is pain or discomfort in the affected organs however, some women have few or no symptoms
at all. The most common symptoms include:
• painful and heavy periods,
• pain during sexual intercourse,
• bleeding in between periods,
• subfertility (difficulty in becoming pregnant) or infertility,
• low backache.
• difficulty or discomfort when urinating,
• bowel blockage (if the endometrial tissue is in the intestines), and
Diagnosis
You have to be referred to a specialist for an examination called a laparoscopy. The examination involves being placed under
a general anaesthetic and a special viewing tube with a light on the end (a laparoscope) is passed into your body. The laparoscope
has a tiny camera which transmits images to a video monitor so that the specialist can view the endometrial tissue. A small
sample (a biopsy) for laboratory testing can be taken, and a mini-operation can be performed to treat the endometriosis. The
laparoscope is usually inserted into the pelvis through the navel (belly button).
Treatment
There is no known cure for endometriosis, but the treatment reduces the symptoms so that the condition does not interfere
with your daily life. Usually treatment involves pain medication, hormone treatment, or surgery – laparoscopy (also
known as “key-whole surgery” – which is also used for diagnosis) and may include the use of laser surgery
techniques.
Please join our discussion forum where we chat about all fertility issues and exchange information about our experiences and
treatments.
Forum - the fertility enigma
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