What Is Endometriosis? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

• Genetics Endometriosis runs in families. Your risk is higher if one or more relatives have the condition.
• Hormones Excess estrogen or dysregulation of the hormone stimulates growth of endometriotic implants.
• Menstrual period problems Retrograde menstrual flow, or backward period flow, in which some of the tissue shed during a period flows backward through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvis is associated with endometriosis. On the other hand, most women experience this, and in a majority of cases, it doesn’t lead to endometriosis.
• Low prenatal testosterone A lack of testosterone in utero may put some women at higher risk for developing endometriosis.

• Starting your menstrual period at an early age
• Short monthly menstrual cycles (less than 27 days)
• Heavy menstrual periods that last more than seven days
• If you have never given birth

Early diagnosis and treatment are especially important because untreated disease will not go away. Without comprehensive treatment, endometriosis can cause chronic pain as well as scar tissue and infertility.

RELATED: Unrecognized Endometriosis: Despite 40 Years of Severe Pain Misdiagnosed as IBS, This Woman Didn’t Give Up

Learn More About Diagnosing Endometriosis: Tests and Screenings, Early Diagnosis, and Your Doctors

According to the classification system established by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, there are four stages of endometriosis. Stage 1 is minimal, stage 2 is mild, stage 3 is moderate, and stage 4 is severe.

Learn More About the Types and Stages of Endometriosis

Prognosis of Endometriosis

While endometriosis cannot be totally eradicated, patients can find a significant reduction of painful symptoms — and possibly even complete relief — through traditional and nontraditional treatments as well as diet and lifestyle modifications.

If you suspect you have endometriosis, it’s critical that you find an endometriosis specialist. Ask around. If you don't know anyone living with the condition, look for referrals from other women with endometriosis in online forums or patient support groups such as those at Endometriosis.org and Endo-resolved.

Learn More About How to Find an Endometriosis Specialist

Among other factors, appropriate treatments depend on age, the severity of symptoms, and if or when pregnancy may be desired. Don’t delay talking to your doctor about pelvic or lower abdominal pain or bad periods. You don’t have to endure these symptoms, and getting treated can help improve your overall health and quality of life.

Medication Options

While the disease cannot be totally eradicated, medication is typically the first option for reducing symptoms. Medication may include the following:

• NSAIDs, to help relieve pain
• Hormonal birth control
• Hormone therapy
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) therapy, which lowers estrogen levels and prevents menstruation (your period and your ability to get pregnant return once you stop taking this medication)

Alternative and Complementary Therapies

Complementary treatments such as stress management, acupuncture, and diet changes can help alleviate endometriosis symptoms.

• Eating lots of fruits and veggies has been shown to reduce the risk of developing endometriosis. Fatty meats, full fat dairy, caffeine, and alcohol can all increase your risk, so limit or avoid these foods.
• Acupuncture can reduce pain from endometriosis and blood levels of CA-125, a protein associated with the disease.
• Exercise may be the last thing you want to do when experiencing pelvic pain, but some research suggests that it can help you manage symptoms and provide pain relief.
• Biofeedback is an alternative therapy that teaches you how to reframe your response to pain. Find a trained practitioner at the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance or the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
• Studies suggest that herbal extracts such as curcumin, puerarin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and ginsenoside Rg3 may help reduce endometriosis lesions.It’s vital that you discuss any herbal supplements with your doctor, to avoid any interactions with other medications you’re taking.
• Marijuana, now legal in many states, has shown the potential to reduce pain, nausea, and vomiting, and to improve sleep.

Learn More About Treatment for Endometriosis: Medication, Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Surgery Options, and More 

Prevention of Endometriosis

• Consider using hormonal birth control such as pills, patches, or rings with lower doses of estrogen.
• Exercise more than four hours a week. Regular exercise and a lower amount of body fat help decrease the amount of estrogen circulating through the body.
• Alcohol raises estrogen levels, so limit yourself to no more than one drink per day
• Avoid drinks with caffeine.

• Inflammation from endometriosis, which can damage the eggs and interfere with the movement of eggs and sperm
• Scar tissue from endometriosis, which can block the fallopian tubes (the tubes connecting the ovaries and the uterus)

• Allergies and asthma
• Autoimmune diseases (in which the body's immune system attacks itself), including multiple sclerosis, lupus, and some forms of hypothyroidism
• Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
• Certain cancers, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a type of blood cancer)
• Severe pain with sexual intercourse
• Chronic or recurrent headaches

• Bowel endometriosis Bowel endometriosis can be especially tricky to detect. Bowel endometriosis, often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome, occurs when endometriosis lesions grow on the peritoneum (the membrane lining the inside of the abdomen and covering the abdominal organs), the rectum, the intestines, and other deeper bowel levels.
• Deep infiltrating endometriosis In superficial cases of endometriosis, adhesions appear on the surface of organs; deep infiltrating endometriosis, on the other hand, is invasive, growing into the peritoneal tissues of the pelvic organ.
• Miscarriage risk may be slightly higher with endometriosis, but the data is not conclusive. The evidence on this subject is mixed; some studies have found an increased risk of miscarriage among women with endometriosis. Experts don’t understand the link; whether the increased risk is related to endometriosis-caused inflammation in the uterus, dysfunctional uterine contractions, or another factor isn’t clear.
• Fertility issues It’s a myth that women with endometriosis can’t get pregnant, but it is true that it may take them longer to achieve that goal.

• An abscess on the fallopian tubes or ovaries
• Adenomyosis, in which endometrial tissue that lines the uterus infiltrates the wall of the uterus
• Cancer of the reproductive organs
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
• Ovarian cysts
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Urinary tract or bowel problems
• Uterine fibroids (benign tumors in the uterine wall)

Dr. Seckin’s Endometriosis Blog

The blog of Tamer Seckin, MD, of the Seckin Endometrial Center in New York City, provides news, education, and first-person blogs by patients. Dr. Seckin is the founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, an advocacy organization that offers information to patients, facilitates surgical training, and funds endometriosis research.

Endometriosis Association

This organization of women with endometriosis and healthcare providers focuses on education, support, and efforts toward finding a cure.

Endo-resolved

Run by an integrative health coach, this site features stories from women with endometriosis and offers advice on natural treatments, including diet and lifestyle changes.

Endo Black

Endo Black aims to provide a safe space for women of color to learn about endometriosis and connect them with a supportive community. Their website includes a blog, tips on managing the disorder, and links to endometriosis specialists.

Endometriosis Comprehension and Support

For information on treatment options and supportive interaction, check out this Facebook page.

Learn More About Endometriosis Resources