2023-12-18 12:33:23
It is estimated that almost 200 million women worldwide (representing approximately one in ten) suffer from endometriosis, a painful disease that can be disabling (as the case of TV3 presenter Judith Antequera has illustrated). , as explained this weekend on the network’s La Marató program).
Unfortunately, and as reflected by the molecular biologist and researcher of the Translational Oncology Group of the Regional Biomedical Research Center Eva M. Galán Moya in an article published on the dissemination portal The Conversationthe vast majority of these people are not diagnosed: “the false myth of painful menstruations masks their diagnosis and until secondary complications occur, such as infertility, these patients are not studied in depth.”
What is it and what does it consist of?
As pointed out World Health Organization (WHO), endometriosis is a disease that consists of the growth, on the outside of the uterus, of tissue similar to the interior mucosa of the uterus. It causes intense pain in the pelvis and can seriously hinder pregnancy.
Normally, it develops from the first menstruation and lasts until menopause occurs. It is not known what its causes are or how to prevent it; There are no curative treatments either. On the other hand, we do have strategies to reduce symptoms.
Depending on the specific parts of the body that are affected, several types of lesions have been described: superficial endometriosis (located in the pelvic peritoneum), ovarian cystic endometriosis (in the ovaries), deep endometriosis (in the rectovaginal septum, bladder and intestine) and, in rare cases, outside the pelvis.
What are your symptoms?
The main symptoms of endometriosis include severe pain in the pelvis (especially during menstruation), pain during sexual intercourse or when going to the toilet, and problems getting pregnant.
Although in certain cases it is asymptomatic, endometriosis usually causes pain in the pelvis that intensifies during menstruation, when urinating and defecating, or during and after sexual relations. In rarer cases, it can cause chronic pelvic pain, heavy bleeding during or between periods, difficulty getting pregnant, gas or nausea, tiredness, depression or anxiety. Frequently (although not always) these symptoms reduce after menopause.
This variability in symptoms, which present very differently in each person, makes diagnosing the condition difficult. Added to this is the myth that pain during menstruation is normal, which means that many women are not aware that there is a problem.
How is it treated?
The approach to endometriosis consists mainly of resorting to pharmacological or surgical strategies to alleviate the severity of the symptoms and to improve the chances of achieving pregnancy.
For example, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and analgesics such as ibuprofen or naproxen are often used to relieve pain. Other options involve the use of different contraceptive means (birth control pills, IUD, vaginal ring, implants, injections or patches) or analogues of the hormone gonadoliberin.
Finally, sometimes it may be necessary to resort to surgery to remove the lesions, adhesions and scar tissues of endometriosis. These types of operations are usually performed using laparoscopy, a procedure in which a camera is inserted into the body through a small incision.
References
Eva M. Galán Moya. Endometriosis: an underdiagnosed painful disease. The Conversation (2023). Consulted online at on December 18, 2023.
World Health Organization (2023). Endometriosis. Consulted online at https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis on December 18, 2023.
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