Endometriosis is a painful condition which affects millions of women worldwide who are in their reproductive years. It is a condition where the cells that are normally found in the lining of the uterus are also found in other areas of the body usually within the pelvis area. Common places Endo is found are the ligaments supports of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, intestines and bladder but in some rare cases can be found on the knee, and lung . Endometriosis, comes from the Greek words, endo (within), metra (uterus) and osis (abnormal or diseased condition). Each month this tissue outside of the uterus, under normal hormonal control, is built up and then breaks down and bleeds in the same way as the lining of the uterus. This internal bleeding into the pelvis, unlike a period, has no way of leaving the body. This leads to inflammation,excruciating pain, heavy periods, painful intercourse and the formation of scar tissue. Endometrial tissue can also be found in the ovary where it can form cysts, called 'chocolate' cysts. Some women suffer and have significant pain while in others it can exist without any sign of presence. Eventually the inflammation and scarring can lead to other problems causing pain even when you are not having a period. Endometriosis comes in the form of any shape, size and color but the disease itself is classed as "benign". It can go into remission for a while but usually returns. Unfortunately, the causes of Endometriosis are still unknown and there is no cure. A staging system that ranks the severity of a woman's Endometriosis is in five stages. In the first stage, pain is minimal and there is no abnormal bleeding. In the second, the pain is greater and accompanied by internal bleeding. In the next stage the disease progresses, with hemorrhaging and adhesions in which tissues covering various organs, inflamed by the endometrial growths bleeding into them, begin to stick together. The adhesions grow thicker in the next stage and destruction of organs begins. In the final stage there is total loss of reproductive function, extensive organ destruction, and a �frozen pelvis� produced by dense adhesions. Though the disease is seldom life threatening, the damage it can do to the quality of a woman's life is immense. There is no easy way to �live with� severe pain that can return month after month and often progresses to involve major organs and other areas of the body. Symptoms can interfere with building a career or even holding a job. |