Endometriosis What is it? What… what?
Endometriosis remains largely unknown to most of society, and at Inebir we want to help change that. Last Wednesday we held the First Endometriosis Meeting at the hands of Dr. José Manuel Navarro PandoIt was a very productive afternoon where the attendees learned a little. more about the disease and they resolved many doubts.
Despite the fact that almost two centuries have passed since the first studies of endometriosis, we still don't fully understand what it is. Therefore, at Inebir, we want to share all the aspects we discussed at the First Endometriosis Meeting with our readers, and we will do so through our blog. We are beginning a series of weekly posts about endometriosis that will conclude on March 14th, World Endometriosis Day. Through short articles, we will address many of the issues discussed at the meeting.
¿What is endometriosis? Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial epithelium (tissue that grows and is shed each month through menstruation) outside the uterus. In the words of Dr. Navarro, "these cells are capable of traveling and growing anywhere and, at the same time, they infiltrate, because they penetrate tissues and can even destroy them."
What is the fundamental problem with endometriosis? The fundamental problem is pain, which can appear at a very young age and is difficult to control. Not all women will be cured by menopause or by undergoing surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries; pain is a long-term issue for women with endometriosis and will take different forms throughout their lives. The second major problem is fertility.
Why is endometriosis a problem for fertility? Primarily, because it alters a woman's anatomy. Endometriosis doesn't affect fertility by decreasing egg quality or affecting implantation; rather, it causes the fallopian tubes and uterus to have an abnormal anatomical relationship, and this anatomical distortion in the area where ovulation and fertilization occur affects fertility.
Are there any genetic factors involved in endometriosis? Dr. Navarro thinks so and explains: “There are families of women with endometriosis, but not all women with endometriosis have a relative with the same disease. It’s difficult to confirm because many cases of endometriosis go undiagnosed today, and many more went undiagnosed in the past: grandmothers who suffered from severe period pain or painful intercourse, but no one ever paid attention to them.”
If you have any specific questions you'd like us to answer on our blog, you can leave a comment on this post and we'll include it in our weekly post about endometriosis.
Go endo warriors!
3 comments
Hi!! Thanks for sharing…
I am an endometriosis patient, but I have never had pain with my periods.
I wanted to ask you: is the pain related to menstruation, or could it be muscle pain, neck pain... or is it unrelated?
I didn't know cells could expand... and how do you know if that's happened or not?
Thank you, I will be keeping an eye on your posts
Good afternoon Mayte,
The pain associated with endometriosis is not always related to menstruation and can occur at any time during the cycle, manifesting in very diverse ways such as: gastrointestinal symptoms (difficulty or pain when defecating, anal pain, etc.), urinary symptoms (pain when urinating, bladder pain, etc.), genital symptoms (pain during intercourse, vaginal or vulvar pain), pelvic, muscular, or related to the nervous system.
Endometriosis can behave like a low-grade tumor, causing lesions outside the pelvis. Diagnosing pain related to endometriosis implants in locations outside the pelvis is challenging for experts because its clinical presentation is highly variable.
Therefore, to know how the disease is progressing, it is best to carefully observe the symptoms and attend regular check-ups in specialized endometriosis units.
A greeting.
Thank you so much. See you at the reviews.