If you are a young female having recurrent and chronic pain in your lower belly especially around the time of your period and are not able to get pregnant? You might have a condition called Endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a condition in which the inner lining of the uterus can also grow outside the uterus like in the ovaries or the pelvis. It is not known the exact cause for this condition. In general, menstrual period happens every month due to bleeding from the lining of the uterus.
The same thing happens with endometriosis, during the menstrual period there will also be bleeding wherever the uterine lining is present outside the uterus like in the ovaries, the tubes, the bladder or the colon.
So, what are the symptoms? It is mostly pain
in the belly either before or during the period
or with sexual intercourse. Also, pain when urinating or having a bowel movement. Periods are normally heavy with the presence of blood in the urine or the stool. Sometimes, women might have trouble getting pregnant.
Unfortunately, there is no specific test to diagnose endometriosis. The symptoms are similar to other conditions. So, doctors should think about it and can order an ultrasound or MRI of the belly. But the only way to confirm it, is by doing a laparoscopic surgery to find the lining of the uterus outside the uterus.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for endometriosis. Sometimes the symptoms can be very devastating in some women, but we can use some anti-inflammatory pain medications or different types of birth control or hormonal therapy in order to stop the monthly periods to help reducing the pain.
If there are no improvements, laparoscopy surgery can be done in order to burn or remove the uterus lining outside the uterus. On the other hand, hysterectomy, which is a surgery to remove the uterus, can be done only for women who are not planning to get pregnant.
Video shot by Galia Helbaoui and edited by Amer Helbaoui
24 янв 2023
