Why Does It Happen?
Every month, the female body prepares for a possible pregnancy by stimulating normal endometrial tissue growth with female hormones. If conception does not occur, this endometrial lining is shed, which starts the normal menstrual cycle. When a person suffers from endometriosis, the uterus continues its monthly function, while the ectopic (outside the uterus) endometrial tissue that has implanted elsewhere also responds to hormone fluctuations -- swelling, thickening and bleeding at the same time.
Unlike normal endometrial lining, this tissue and bleeding has nowhere to go -- so it remains in the body and causes inflammation in the surrounding tissue, causing scar tissue and adhesions to form. It also creates a dense, fibrous tissue that can weave itself among the pelvic organs, tying them together and interfering with normal organ function. Typically, the affected organs include the ovaries, the muscle tissue around the uterus, the fallopian tubes and the lining of the pelvic cavity.
Less commonly, this tissue can spread to other parts of the body, including the gastrointestinal system, and rarely, the urinary tract and lower genital tract. At times, the lungs and limbs can be affected.
Risk Factors for Endometriosis
While the exact trigger for endometriosis is unknown, researchers believe that a combination of genetics, a dysfunctional immune system, hormones and environmental factors may contribute to its onset. According to the Endometriosis Foundation, a family history of endometriosis increases a woman’s risk of developing endometriosis herself by seven times.
What Can I Do?
Endometriosis can cause chronic pain, which can interfere with a patient’s daily life and activities. Managing that pain is essential to living with endometriosis, and your gynecologist can work with you to devise a treatment plan that will have a maximum impact on you.
Health care providers will typically consider many factors when determining what your best treatment options for endometriosis are, including:
● Your age
● The severity of your symptoms
● The severity of your disease and where the tissue has spread
● Whether you are of childbearing age or whether you want to have children
Many women with endometriosis are prescribed oral contraceptives, which contain estrogen and progestin. These hormones help regulate the growth of uterine tissue and can help ease endometriosis pain. These contraceptives can have side effects, and there are some serious risks for women, especially those older than 35, including blood clots. Women may be prescribed progesterone and progestin pills or injections to reduce symptoms by reducing or eliminating a woman’s menstrual cycle. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists can be used to prevent ovulation, menstruation and endometriosis growth. This final treatment sends the body into a “menopausal” state. Treatment for endometriosis may include surgical options, depending on a woman’s age and desire to have children.
In addition to hormone therapy and surgical options, doctors may prescribe pain medication, which can range from over the counter painkillers to much stronger prescription medications.
Many women find that adding alternative or complementary treatments to traditional medicine can help them manage their endometriosis pain more effectively. Here are five alternative methods that have shown effectiveness in minimizing endometriosis pain.
Yoga
Yoga involves a series of poses and gentle stretches. Yoga therapy is a form of yoga that has a unique focus and involves different breathing techniques, meditation and stretches. There are specific poses and practices in yoga that have been reported to help alleviate endometriosis pain.
Exercise
Regular exercise, in addition to helping boost your overall health and fitness, has been demonstrated to relieve stress, reduce pain and fight depression. You can meet with a trainer who has a familiarity with endometriosis to develop a regimen that will maximize results while matching your fitness level and taking into account any other health issues, or you can try including swimming and power walking in your weekly routine.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture, an Eastern Asian Medicine that involves the insertion of fine needles into “acupuncture points” in the body, may also help alleviate endometriosis pain. It is thought that this practice stimulates the body’s nervous system to release certain chemicals and hormones into the muscles, spinal cord and brain, which may help improve pain and discomfort caused by endometriosis. Many insurance policies cover acupuncture treatment.
Healthy Diet
Diet and nutrition have been widely adopted as accepted means of managing and reducing endometriosis pain. Many women who suffer from this condition also have a variety of food intolerances and may find that symptoms are exacerbated by seemingly innocent food choices. For some women, a gluten intolerance means that sandwiches or pastries can cause an increase in pain symptoms, and processed foods can increase inflammatory activity. Because each woman has a different trigger, weeding out foods that affect your pain take quite a bit of trial and error. Keeping a food log can help you discover food/pain correlations.
In general, women with endometriosis are encouraged to adopt a diet that primarily comprises healthy, low-fat proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, low- or no-sodium food choices, minimal sugar and minimally processed foods.
Massage
There are many different types of massage that may help ease endometriosis pain. In particular, massages combined with gentle heat or using heating pads can help loosen muscles and ease pain. A 2010 study on the effects of massage therapy on endometriosis pain found that there was a statistically significant difference between the intensity of pain in test subjects before the therapy started, immediately after and as far as six weeks after massage therapy.