Medical Questions » Female Problems Questions » Question No. 393
| Question: | Can you explain endometriosis for me? I have been told that this is the cause of my painful periods. |
| Answer: | Your uterus (womb) is lined with special cells, which during the second half of your monthly cycle, are prepared to accept any fertilised egg and allow it to grow into a baby. If no pregnancy occurs, these cells degenerate, break away from the inside of the uterus, and with the resultant bleeding, pass out of the body in a woman' s period.
From the top of the uterus, the two Fallopian tubes lead out to the two ovaries. In a very small number of unlucky women, the cells that normally go out during a period, may go in and through these Fallopian tubes. The cells are then in an abnormal posirion around the ovary, on the outside of the uterus or in the pelvic cavity, and they can attach to these tissues and start growing and spreading further.
They will still respond to the hormonal cycle every month, as these hormones pass through the bloodstream to every cell in the body. As a result, these cells in abnormal positions will bleed every month, releasing blood in places where it can cause pain and other symptoms. The cells may also block the Fallopian tubes causing infertility, or settle on the outside of the intestine to cause irritation and diarrhoea.
The condition can only be diagnosed by examining a woman' s pelvis by means of an operation or a laparoscopy. A laparoscopy involves a small tube being put through the belly button into the abdomen, and through this a doctor can see the spots of endometriosis in its abnormal positions.
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