Unfortunately, those of us that are women go through “the curse” also known as menstruation every month, and some women endure excruciatingly painful pelvic pain that leaves them breathless.
What many of these suffering women don’t realize, is that they may have endometriosis, a disease that affects one out of ten females.
You might be thinking, what is this strange word endometriosis? Here goes… every month a woman, as most of us know, sheds a build-up of endometrial tissue. With endometriosis sufferers, the lining backs up and travels through the fallopian tubes and spills into the uterus and surrounding pelvic organs.
Endometrial growths can be found on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, stomach, appendix and even the spleen. These growths respond to hormonal changes and can cause intense pain that can feel like pulling, stabbing or burning pain.
Different hormonal changes cause the growths to enlarge and as they do so, the pain can become worse as the months go by. Some women have pelvic pain during their period, others may have it at ovulation, and still others may have pain all month long, causing their life to come to a halt.
When endometriosis grows, the body tries to protect itself by forming scar tissue. In actuality, the scar tissue causes more pain and the female’s internal organs become almost glued together.
In order to be diagnosed with the disease, a woman has to go through a surgical procedure called a laporoscopy. A laporoscopy is generally an outpatient procedure where a scope is inserted through a small incision for the physician to inspect the pelvis. Once inside, the doctor can diagnose endometriosis, which can then be removed with a laser. The problem that most women have is finding a good surgeon. Endometriosis is not easy to detect and a surgeon has to be precise.
There’s no cure for the disease and treatment can be tough to handle. The best thiong to do is suppress the hormones to stop the endometrial growths from enlarging. Birth control pills have been used successfully for many women. Another medication called Lupron causes estrogen to decrease, putting awomean into menoppause.
Lupron causes other undesirable side effects for many including night sweats, joint pain, memory loss and depression. The best treatment is surgery because it eliminates the disease as well as eliminating un-wanted side effects of medication.
There is help and hope. If you have painful periods or you know someone who does, get help or have her get help now.
Endometriosis is the leading cause of infertility and, if left untreated, can cause major havoc to one’s health. No one should suffer in pain. A good diet eliminating sugar, white bread and milk can ease the suffering.
Also, take plenty of B vitamins, which will stabilize hormonal fluctuations. If you have a signifigant other, make sure he understands that it’s that time of month and it’s a painful time for you. Be sensitive to your needs and think of yourself first if you’re living with chronic pelvic pain.
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