What is Endometriosis?

This is an often painful disorder of the female reproductive system. With this condition, a specialized type of tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus (the endometrium) becomes implanted outside your uterus, most commonly on your fallopian tubes, ovaries or the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond your pelvic region.

During your menstrual cycle, hormones signal the lining of your uterus to thicken to prepare for possible pregnancy. If a pregnancy doesn't occur, hormone levels decrease, causing the thickened lining of your uterus to shed. This produces bleeding that exits your body through the vagina — your monthly period.

When endometrial tissue is located elsewhere in your body, it continues to act in its normal way: It thickens, breaks down and bleeds each month as your hormone levels rise and fall. Because there's nowhere for the blood from this displaced tissue to exit your body, it becomes trapped, and surrounding tissue can become irritated.

Trapped blood may lead to the growth of cysts. Cysts, in turn, may form scar tissue and adhesions — abnormal tissue that binds organs together. This process can cause pain in the area of misplaced tissue, often the pelvis, especially during your period. Scars and adhesions related to endometriosis also can cause fertility problems.

Endometriosis isn't the only cause of pelvic pain. If you're experiencing pelvic pain, see your doctor to determine whether endometriosis or another condition is the cause, and to target appropriate treatment.

Causes of endometriosis

The mechanisms by which endometriosis causes symptoms, including infertility, are unknown. The main theories to explain this disorder are:

• transtubal regurgitation of endometrial cells and implantation at ectopic sites.

• coelomic metaplasia (repeated inflammation may induce metaplasia of mesothelial cells to the endometrial epithelium).

• lymphatic or hematogenous spread to account for extraperitoneal disease.

Signs and symptoms of endometriosis

The classic symptom of endometriosis is acquired dysmenorrhea, which may produce constant pain in the lower abdomen as well as the vagina, posterior pelvis, and back.

The pain usually begins 5 to 7 days before menses, reaches its peak on days of bleeding, and lasts for 2 to 3 days.

It differs from primary dysmenorrheal pain, which is more cramp like and concentrated in the abdominal midline. The severity of pain doesn't necessarily indicate the extent of the disease.

Other clinical features depend on the location of the ectopic tissue:

• ovaries and oviducts: infertility and profuse menses

• ovaries or cul-de-sac: deep-thrust dyspareunia

• bladder: suprapubic pain, dysuria, hematuria

• rectovaginal septum and colon: painful defecation, rectal bleeding with menses, pain in the coccyx or sacrum .

• small bowel and appendix: nausea and vomiting, which worsen before menses, and abdominal cramps

• cervix, vagina, and perineum: bleeding from endometrial deposits in these areas during menses.

The primary complication of endometriosis is infertility.

Diagnosis of endometriosis

Palpation during a pelvic examination may detect multiple tender nodules on the uterosacral ligaments or in the rectovaginal septum in one-third of patients. These nodules enlarge and become more tender during menses.

Palpation may also uncover ovarian enlargement in the presence of endometrial cysts on the ovaries or thickened, nodular adnexa (as in pelvic inflammatory disease).

Laparoscopy is used to confirm the diagnosis and determine the stage of the disease before treatment is initiated.

Endometriosis treatment

The stage of the disease and the patient's age and desire to have children are treatment considerations for endometriosis.

In stages I and II (mild forms with superficial endometria and filmy adhesions), conservative therapy for young women who want to have children includes androgens such as danazol, which produce a temporary remission.

Progestins and oral contraceptives also relieve symptoms. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, by inducing a pseudomenopause and, thus, a "medical oophorectomy," have shown a remission of disease and are commonly used.

When ovarian masses are present (stages III and IV), surgery must rule out cancer. Conservative surgery is possible, but the treatment of choice for women who don't want to bear children and for those with extensive disease (stages III and IV) is a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpin¬go-oophorectomy.

Many people have extremely positive results with this condition through the use of herbal remadies. In many Asian cultures the use of Tang Kuei is common an it seems to have a major benefit in many areas within those societies.

This is addressed in more detail in the Vitamin & Nutrient Associations section below. Special considerations

• Minor gynecologic procedures are contraindicated immediately before and during menstruation.

• Advise adolescents to use sanitary napkins instead of tampons; this can help prevent retrograde flow in girls with a narrow vagina or small introitus.

• Because infertility is a possible complication, advise the patient who wants children not to postpone childbearing

CLINICAL TIP :- Recommend to all patients that they have an annual pelvic examination and Papanicolaou test.

Edometriosis Related To Thyroid Condition

by Shelley Ross

No one knows a woman’s body quite like that woman herself. In many cases, a woman does not need a doctor to tell her when something isn’t right. For many women, a general feeling that something isn’t right accompanied by pelvic pain, painful intercourse, or other related symptoms prompts them to enlist the aid of a gynecologist for a diagnosis.

Endometriosis is often the culprit. Affecting millions of Americans each year, this disease can be bothersome in milder cases, but it can actually be debilitating in other cases. For some women it means pain and discomfort. For others, it means infertility.

Unfortunately, doctors don’t know the reason for the disease. There are many theories, but none of them have been absolutely proven. What research has unraveled, however, is a strong relation between endometriosis and thyroid condition. In fact, some studies show that 40% of women suffering from endometriosis suffer from underactive thyroid.

Underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism is a condition that is often diagnosed. If you suffer from endometriosis, it would also be a good idea to get tested for this disorder. There are various warning signs that may serve as a signal that you suffer from hypothyroidism.

The most common ones include depression, weight gain, fatigue, high cholesterol, hair loss, feeling cold, low libido, tingling in the hands and feet, and infertility.

Infertility is both a side effect of hypothyroidism and endometriosis. In the case of endometriosis it occurs because of cells that lodge themselves outside of the uterus. These are the same type of cells that build up inside of the uterus and are shed each month during menstruation.

When a woman develops endometriosis, however, the cells accumulate outside of the uterus. When a woman menstruates, the cells don’t shed and they continue to build up. This can lead to scar tissue and adhesions. Often, the fallopian tubes are blocked, preventing a woman from conceiving.

Hypothyroidism also affects fertility. Not only are your hormones unbalanced, a woman suffering from hypothyroidism often doesn’t experience ovulation. Without ovulation, there is no egg for the sperm to fertilize.

With no egg to be fertilized, conception is impossible. If you are not sure if you are ovulating, you can buy inexpensive ovulation kits at your local pharmacy or many supermarkets. In a matter of minutes, you can find out if your body is ovulating as it should be.

As research continues, experts continue to explore links between hypothyroidism and endometriosis. Doctors are also hopeful for a definitive cure for endometriosis, a disease that affects the lives of so many women. It is important for endometriosis suffers to consider the possibility of other related disorders such as hypothyroidism.

It doesn’t hurt to talk with your doctor about the possibility of your having this disorder, taking a test, and finding out whether you do in fact have an improperly functioning thyroid. With so many treatment options available for both endometriosis and hypothyroid disease, it is important to receive the proper diagnoses that will you to work in conjunction with your doctor to follow the best course of treatment possible.

About the Author Shelley Ross has an interest in Endometriosis. For further information on Endometriosis please visit http://www.treatendometriosis.com/endometriosis.html

Vitamin & Nutrient Associations

One of the herbs that is widely accepted to be effective with a range of nutrition problems is Tang Kuei (also known as dong quai or Chinese angelica). It is a member of the celery family and is believed to have been used for balancing female conditions in Asia for thousands of years.

When use of this herb is supported by the use of a nutritional program like the Herbalife ShapeWorks QuickStart or ShapeWorks Advanced Program many people find relieve from hormonal conditions. It is worthwhile investigating this option in more detail.

Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance.

It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly.

The nutrition products I am going to recommend you make use of knowledge gained from the botanical world's 6,000 year history. They incorporated health building nutritional herbs with the best modern technology to help our bodies cleanse and detoxify so that the cells - the tiniest living units - can be as fully nourished as possible.

This allows the cells to grow, repair and to perform their functions with the best possible efficiency so that we feel and look better and are more able to prevent and fight disease. Once the body begins to clear itself of toxins it can more efficiently absorb nutrition.

As Aloe Vera Juice is a refreshing and anti-bacterial drink, you might find that taking this daily, diluted in some filtered water will not only refresh you like ‘a shower inside you’ but also assists in dealing with any digestive issues you may also be experiencing. Taken with Flora-Fiber tabs it will cleanse your digestive system and improve your immunity levels overall.

You may find benefit from our information on detoxification as well as a bit about detoxing because of change of diet

It may be due to difficulties with your digestive system that is causing your body to be starved of key nutrients, vitamins or minerals. In this case you may find useful answers by reviewing our article on Nutrition For Your Cells. There is also more information here about why is nutrition such an issue nowadays?

It may be that your metabolism has slowed due to pressures that have been placed on your system through life in general or through specific “challenges” you have faced in the last few months or last few years. Review this by looking at our article about balancing your Metabolic Rate.

Further reading through our articles on health issues will give you a body of information that will help you decide what options you have to deal with the underlying causes of your problem through giving your body the nutrition products that will assist you body to heal from the inside out.

You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements and learn more about our core nutrition program, the Cellular Nutrition Advanced Program and also check out these targeted products, Florafiber to replace your healthy flora and Aloe Vera Juice to help cleanse your system.

We wish you well in your search for solutions to this Endometriosis problem and your movement towards better health in all areas.

Free Report Reveals “Why you need Nutrition Supplementation with your food for your Health Success!” Free Health Book. Download your vitamin supplements Special Free Report Today Click the link above to get your free ebook & eCourse today!

You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements to learn more about some of the nutrition products mentioned in our recommendations above.

We also feature new health articles & self care solutions every month in “Your Health Success” our FREE Health Magazine, so subscribe today to stay up-to-date!

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SITE DISCLAIMER: Do these products “cure” anything? Of course not… but it stands to reason that if you cleanse your body and feed it the finest nutrition available, giving it everything it needs in balance, on a daily basis, that your body will do what nature intended, and give you the best possible chance to fend off sickness and disease. This Endometriosis information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any Endometriosis questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
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