Complications of endometriosis

What is endometriosis and why does it occur?

Endometriosis is a disorder that occurs in women and that is related to their reproductive system. The main characteristic of this condition is the growth of endometrium in other places besides the uterus, where it begins to act the same way as it would in uterus during a menstrual cycle. It means that if it grows on ovaries or fallopian tubes, for example, it will go through the stages of thickening, breaking down and bleeding every single month, and the blood will not have any other possibility but to remain in the body. This situation is very likely to provoke the formation of cysts, scar tissues and adhesions, which may cause further problems, and complications that are more serious.

Causes of endometriosis are something that the scientists and doctors are still not sure about. There is a belief that it has something to do with genetics, and that endometriosis is carried in genes of some families, while it is also possible that particular cells, which exist in the woman’s abdomen and that are responsible for the growth of female reproductive organs at the embryo stage, retain the ability of becoming endometrial.

How to treat endometriosis and what are the possible complications?

As for the treatment, luckily, it is possible to deal with this condition, and there are a few options, but which one will be suggested by the doctor depends on the severity of the case, symptoms, and the woman’s plans regarding pregnancy. Available options include medications for pain, hormonal therapy and surgery, of which the surgery is always the last solution, suggested only when other methods do not give the results. The most severe cases require a total hysterectomy and the removal of both ovaries.

If left untreated, in the majority of the cases, this condition will only worsen and cause serious complications and even permanent consequences. They include pain in the abdomen or back, gastrointestinal bleeding, dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, the formation of cysts (either pelvic, or chocolate) and the rupture of cysts, but it is also possible that the tissue that binds the organs will be created, too, or that the internal scarring will occur. The most serious complications are impaired fertility, infertility and miscarriage. According to the statistics, a very significant number of women with this problem cannot get pregnant easily, because the complications in which endometriosis results may interfere with the conception in some way.