What is Endo?

 What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is not just a painful period, it's a disease known as a whole-body disease and it comes with many symptoms that are often life-long! The actual definition of Endometriosis as stated by

Endometriosis.net:

"The tissue that lines the uterus is known as the endometrium. This lining thickens each month during the menstrual cycle and is shed as it breaks down and bleeds during a woman's period each month. Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which endometrial-like tissue grows outside of the uterus. For those with endometriosis, this tissue forms and grows in other places of the body. Most commonly, this abnormal tissue growth occurs in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, outer surface of the uterus, and other parts of the pelvis. Very rarely, endometriosis can affect other parts of the body including the lungs, skin, or brain. The displaced endometrial tissue still thickens and breaks down each month, however, there is no place for the blood to escape the body. This can lead to ovarian cysts, scar tissue, inflammation, pain, blockage of the fallopian tubes, and adhesions (fibrous tissues that can form between organs and connect them), among other issues."

There are several different types of endometriosis

• Superficial peritoneal endometriosis: Thin lesions form on the lining of the peritoneum (the lining that surrounds the pelvic cavity and some of the organs and structures within the pelvis) - this is the type that I have at stage 1. 
  
  
• Ovarian endometriosis: Endometrial tissue and old blood collects in the ovaries as a result of endometriosis, leading to blood-filled cysts (also called chocolate cysts due to the color of the old blood). These cysts can grow and interfere with fertility, as well as potentially increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer.
  
  
• Deep infiltrating endometriosis: Characterized by endometriosis lesions that have invaded the peritoneum five or more millimeters beyond the surface, into the retroperitoneal space farther into the abdomen.
  
  
• Endometriotic nodules: Hard masses composed of various tissue types (including endometrial, fat, and fibrous muscular tissue) that are most often found between the rectum and vagina. These nodules are often considered a form of deep infiltrating endometriosis, but their exact classification is currently up for debate. 

Now, let's go over the symptoms of Endo, there are many symptoms you can have and maybe you have symptoms that aren't even listed here. I know when I was first diagnosed with Endometriosis and even before diagnosis, I had a very long list of symptoms that I dealt with. Here are a few to look out for, I'll add a star next to each symptom that I had:

• Painful period cramps or pelvic pain (many describe the pelvic pain as someone stabbing them in the pelvis with a knife)★
  
  
• Pain during sex★
  
  
• Infertility or difficulty getting pregnant★
  
  
• Excessive bleeding during periods or bleeding in between periods★
  
  
• Intestinal discomfort or pain when going to the bathroom★
  
  
• Digestive issues including constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea (which can happen all month long)★
  
  
• Fatigue★
  

The exact cause of endometriosis is not currently known but more studies are coming out all the time. However, the most common potential explanations are:

• Retrograde menstrual flow (this is where period blood, endometrial cells, and tissue can travel backward through the fallopian tubes rather than out of the body so it basically has nowhere else to go).
  
  
• Genetic factors (often other people in the family have the condition like a mother or it can be multiple family members)
  
  
• Hormonal or immune response-related cell transformations
  
  
• Transport of endometrial cells
  
  
• Surgical transport
  
  
• Other immune system-related dysfunction (which makes it impossible for the immune system to attack or remove endometrial cells if they become displaced)

If you deal with any of the symptoms listed I would definitely recommend you get a hold of your OBGYN for evaluation to see if you have endometriosis, for diagnosis you'll need to have a laparoscopic surgery.