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Debra Domenici's Endometriosis Page |
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| ***Warning: This page contains descriptions of medical conditions and procedures. Some people may not be able to handle this. Please use caution when reading this page. Also, I am not an expert on the information provided here. The information in the descriptions and procedures is from the research that I have done and experiences I have had. If you have questions, you should discuss them with a doctor.*** |
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My name is Debra Wetzel Domenici. I am 27 years old. I have endometriosis and suffer from infertility. I decided to do this web page to inform others about these horrible conditions and what my experience has been with them. |
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Endometriosis |
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| What is endometriosis? |
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Endometriosis is a painful, chronic disease that affects many women in many different ways. Endometriosis is the most common cause of pelvic pain there is. If a woman has pelvic pain she should begin by assuming that she probably has endometriosis. Approximately 10% of women suffer from endometriosis in their reproductive years. That is nearly 90 million women world-wide. Many of the women who have this disease do not know that they have it. Endometriosis is one of the most common diseases on the face of the earth. It is more common than AIDS and cancer!!
Endometriosis occurs when tissue that is similar to the lining of the uterus (called endometrium) is found outside of the uterus, usually in the pelvis (on the tubes; ligaments that support the uterus; area between the vagina and rectum; surface of the uterus; and the lining of the pelvic cavity). It can also be found on the bladder, bowel, vagina, cervix, vluva, and in abdominal surgery scars. It has also been found in the lungs, arm, thigh, and other locations of the body. |
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| What does endometriosis do? |
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This misplaced tissue reacts the same way that the endometrium does. Each month the tissue builds up throughout the month and is shed during the woman's period. The difference is that these growths cannot leave the body and attach to more organs. The body's natural reaction to these bleeding implants is to try to cover the area with scar tissue (also called adhesions).
Every cause of endometriosis is different from every other case. The location of the implants; the depth that they penetrate the tissue they are on; and their size contribute to the unique nature of this disease. Everyone reacts differently to these implants. Some women have a lot of pain with tiny implants and some women with extensive implants have no pain at all (causing them to not kinow that they have the disease). |
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| What are the symptoms of endometriosis? |
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| Pain is the most common symptom of endometriosis. Some other symptoms are: |
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severe menstrual cramps before and during periods; |
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pelvic pain not associated with the period; |
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backache; |
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pain with sex; |
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infertility; |
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fatigue; |
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painful urination or bowel movements during periods; |
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other gastrointestinal upsets such as diarrhea, constipation, and nausea; |
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bloating; |
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pain with exercise; and |
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painful pelvic exams. |
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| What causes endometriosis: |
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| The cause of endometriosis is unknown. There are many theories including the following: |
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Retrograde menstruation- menstrual blood flowing backwards into the pelvis and implanting to any surface and establishing a blood supply. More than 70% of all women experience some degree of retrograde menstruation, but only 12-15% have endometriosis. |
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Vascular- distribution through the lymph or blood system. |
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Metaplasia- cells in the embryo develop in the wrong way in the wrong location and are present at birth. |
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Congenital- cells in the embryo that are intended to form the uterus get left outside of the uterus when it closes and are present at birth. |
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Surgical transplantation. |
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Page 2 |
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