Why does endometriosis cause pain and health problems?
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Growths of endometriosis are benign (not cancerous). But they still can cause many problems. To see why, it helps to understand a woman's menstrual cycle. Every month, hormones cause the lining of a woman's uterus to build up with tissue and blood vessels. If a woman does not get pregnant, the uterus sheds this tissue and blood. It comes out of the body through the vagina as her menstrual period.
Patches of endometriosis also respond to the hormones produced during the menstrual cycle. With the passage of time, the growths of endometriosis may expand by adding extra tissue and blood. The symptoms of endometriosis often get worse.
Tissue and blood that is shed into the body can cause inflammation, scar tissue, and pain. As endometrial tissue grows, it can cover or grow into the ovaries and block the fallopian tubes. Trapped blood in the ovaries can form cysts, or closed sacs. It also can cause inflammation and cause the body to form scar tissue and adhesions, tissue that sometimes binds organs together. This scar tissue may cause pelvic pain and make it hard for women to get pregnant. The growths can also cause problems in the intestines and bladder.
This answer is based on source information from The National Women's Health Information Center.
Growths of endometriosis are benign (not cancerous). But they still can cause many problems. To see why, it helps to understand a woman's menstrual cycle. Every month, hormones cause the lining of a woman's uterus to build up with tissue and blood... More -
Dr. Kevin Windom answered:Endometriosis is caused by numerous different factors, but the most common theory of endometriosis is the retrograde menstruation theory. Every month when a patient has a menstrual cycle, some of the blood flows backwards through the uterus and out the fallopian tubes. This retrograde menstruation can cause endometrial lining cells to implant in different places in the pelvis or abdomen. When endometrial tissue implants start to grown in the abdominal cavity, they can expand and contract with the normal hormonal variations that a woman has each month. This expanding and contracting can cause pain as well as the body realizes this is a foreign object and sends out an immune response to combat this abnormality. Both of these issues could cause pain for the patient. The endometrial lining tissues can also form cysts as well as can trap blood in these cysts which will cause pain. The most common sites for endometrial implantation is in the posterior vagina, cul-de-sac, and this area is notorious for causing vaginal pain as well as pain with intercourse. The endometrial tissue can also form a collection of fluid that is called an endometrioma, and these are most commonly seen on the ovaries.
It is very well known to clinicians that the amount of endometriosis that a patient has does not always correlate to the pain that they are experiencing. In my clinical practice, I have seen patients with stage 1 endometriosis that have debilitating pain requiring multiple surgeries and narcotics. I have also had patients with stage 4 endometriosis (the highest stage), and these patients have very little pain but have severe infertility.
In my clinical practice, I have seen patients with irritable bowel syndrome caused by endometriosis as well as chronic constipation caused by endometriosis. I have also seen patients with endometriosis implants that have implanted near their lungs and have caused a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) as well as endometriosis is one of the more common causes of women missing work due to severe pelvic pressure, pelvic pain, and changes with their menstrual cycle.
Endometriosis is caused by numerous different factors, but the most common theory of endometriosis is the retrograde menstruation theory. Every month when a patient has a menstrual cycle, some of the blood flows backwards through the uterus and out... More
