Mrs. Shen, who was at the age of 28, visited Dr.Lee at this weekend stated that her inferior belly usually bore intense pain in menses, especially at the beginning of the period. She always looked pale and was disturbed about nausea and vomitting. Mrs.Shen has thought this situation can be relieved after marriage, but dysmenorrhea still harassed her. Two years past after she got married, there was no sign of pregnancy at all, she felt anxiety and finally went to the hospital. At last, she was diagnosed with endometriosis.

Features of endometriosis

The so-called endometriosis refers to endometrial tissue which should grow in the innermost of uterus originally grow unconventionally at places out of the endometrial layer. Actually, endometriosis is one of the most complicate gynecological diseases, which also perplexs accoucheurs a lot. Because it is the most difficult disease to treat and easy to recur. Strictly speaking, the real causes of this disease are not established. But theory which accepted most is that it is a special type of eutopic endometrium cell which involves implantable invasiveness of malignant cell. According to statistics, ten percent of women who are at childbearing age can suffer from endometriosis, and the data has an increasing tendency. 80% of patients are able to be found distinct dysmenorrhea, 50% to 60% of them can also be involved in infertility. It is reported that about 90,000 thousand of women have endometriosis and are always with chronic pelvic pain or infertility.

So, who runs higher risk of this disease? Dr.Lee expresses that nearly twenty years, endometriosis persecutes more women, though most researches shows that 75% of suffers are at the age between 25 and 45, recent studies also find young patients who are at the age under 20 are targeted. Apparently this is the result of developed diagnostic method (laparoscopy). Generally speaking, endometriosis is the disease which prefers females who are with high social or economic status, but not the poors. Some research finds that females who get married or give birth at a late age are more likely to have it. As we all know that that is the refection of development of modern society. So it is understandable that endometriosis patients increase nowadays.

A phenomenon referred by Dr.Lee: Though endometriosis is a benign disease, it is not cancer, patients do not need to face with death, it should migrates and roots like malignancy. Consequently, part of the endometrium can remove to other parts and cause adhesion of surrounding tissues, invasion and damage to other tissues or organs. Especially for pelvic organs and peritoneum. Other parts, such as, uterus rectum lacunae abdominal incision, umbilical, bladder, kidney, ureter, lung, pleura, breast, lymph nodes, or even articular cavity of the arm, thigh can be found endometrium as well. Therefore, endometriosis is called "cancer-like disease" in medical circle.

Clinic manifestation

The most common symptom of endometriosis is dysmenorrhea. About one third of patients are likely to have dysmenorrhea. The most significant feature is that it dovetails with menstrual cycle, and usually occurs at the beginning of the period and lasts for the whole menstrual cycle. However, the pain is not directly proportional with volume of the focus. Very few patients suffer from hypogastralgia for a long time. Some patients sustain local pelvic pain or dyspareunia because of oppression in intestinal tract, bladder or nerve. Especially for women whose cervix or vagina is damaged, Onset of symptoms of dyspareunia, constipation and pain defecation is normal.

Sometimes small lesion can cause severe pain, but big lesion can hide with no symptom. Infertility is a problem that troubles many couples, however, they seldom realize it is endometriosis that induces. Dr.Lee indicates that half of patients with infertility relate with this disease. One cause of infertility may be adhesion between endometrium and pelvic organs, which weakens tubal motility. As a result, metabolism, intussusception and actions of oosperm can be hugely affected. Apart from that, environment in pelvic and autoimmune response are both factors that cause endometriosis.

Endometriosis treatment

Comprehensive analysis is needed when making a decision on endometriosis treatment. Factors, such as age, fertility requirement, symptom, the range of lesion, complication should all be sonsidered. Treatment can be divided into medical treatment, surgery and radio therapeutic. Females who intent to have children had better take medical treatment or conservative treatment. For females who are older and with no fertility requirement, oophorotomy is available.

Medical treatment: Hormone therapy is the main treatment in medical treatments. Androgen, progesterone, estrogen and danazol are used to stop menstrual artificially. It is very easy to understand, because no menstrual is no dysmenorrhea. About 85 percent of patients are able to alleviate symptoms. And some are pregnant after hormone therapy. Whereas, if patients meet with by-effect, such as loss of appetite, nausea, abnormal liver function, which disappear diring drug withdrawal, but menstrual is normal, the condition is about to develop. Hence, hormone therapy should be taken under doctors' guidance.

(2) Surgery. Surgery is suitable for patient who have already taken medical treatment but with no result. In this case, patients often have bigger cyst in ovary, severer pelvic cavity lesions and symptoms.

Surgery treatments include:

1. Minimally invasive surgery. It is applied to patients with slight condition and infertility.

2. Conservative treatment. This means to excise lesions that can be seen.

3. Relative conservative treatment. Exsect uterus and retain ovaries.

4. Radical surgery. remove both uterus and bilateral annex. Conservative treatment can be operated with laparoscope.

Patients who need to exsect uterus are those who are with apparent symptoms, pelvic adhesion. In this situation, laparotomy is safer.

Prevention of endometriosis

Endometriosis causes women so much pain and it is hard to cure. So, a lot of people concern the prevention of this disease. As Dr.Lee's description, prevention is not under system research now, because causes of disease is not clear. However, according to the analysis of pathogenesis, we can still summe up experience to prevent endometriosis.

Psychological emotional adjustment. Keep an optimistic mood to run immune system well. Pay attention to sanitary period health situation. For instance, you can not stretch your powers and have sex during this period.

Delayed marriage and childbearing is not proper for patients. That is because delayed marriage and childbearing is a unfavorable factor to induce diseases, What's more, unwanted pregnancy should be avoided. As a matter of fact, forced termination of pregnancy can cause endocrine disorders and give rise to endometriosis.

About Dr.Lee: Dr.Lee has been devoting herself in the career of treating female diseases for about thirty years. She is specialized in reproductive system and urinary system diseases, who has already successfully produced non-surgical treatment for stubborn chlamydia infection, glandular cystitis, chronic prostatitis etc.. She developed medicine Fuyan Pill for women's tubal conditions and endometrium conditions.