ENDOMETRIOSIS-THE MAJOR REPRODUCTIVE DISORDER

Edited by, SNEHA MAVIS

Endometriosis has emerged as a prominent reproductive problem in India, affecting about 25 percent of women. Endometriosis- a painful disease that almost 25 million Indian women suffer in silence.

Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that forms the lining of the uterus starts growing outside in other areas of the body like ovaries, abdominal cavity, urinary bladder and pelvis. The body generally expels this sort of tissue during menstruation, but endometriosis tissue can persist in the body and cause inflammation. Scar tissue can develop as tissue decomposes.

According to renowned gynaecologist and IVF specialist Dr Vidya V Bhat, "Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent illness, which means it thrives when estrogen is present. Estrogen dominance, a condition in which oestrogen levels are out of balance with progesterone. This can be caused by too much oestrogen, too little progesterone, or both."

Constipation or diarrhoea is caused by tissue growing into the rectum and intestines. It causes infertility if it develops into the overies or fallopian tubes. It causes painful sexual intercourse if it grows in the vagina and the back of uterus. Inflammation is also a result of the illness, which causes abdominal pain and bloating.

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain.Patients experience painful periods (particularly intense stabbing pain in the first few days), painful intercourse, pain while urinating, constipation, and bloating.

Endometriosis symptoms might take up to ten years to appear in many cases. This is quite cocerning, as this condition is one of the leading causes of infertility in women. Because the symptoms of endometriosis are general and non-specific, it takes a long time to diagnose it. Many patients are in advanced stages of disease when they seek medical help.