For many women, the monthly cycle is a minor inconvenience to an otherwise amazing life. For others, their period – and the run-up to it – can feel like a living hell. They put up with long, very heavy and incredibly painful periods. If this speaks to you, your symptoms could be linked to a number of conditions (which is why you need to talk to your GP about any concerns about your cycle), and one of them is endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a long-term chronic condition that occurs when cells that are normally only found inside the uterus embed and grow outside the uterus, often on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, covering the top of the vagina or else on intestines. Doctors have even discovered endometrial cells in the eyes and brain!
Why does this happen?
Here’s where the problem is: those cells are hormonally active, just like those that line your uterus, when womb cells shed every month (your period), the other cells do, too. The blood can’t flow out of the body, and this leads to the build-up of scar tissue and cysts. Because these endometrial cells can grow almost anywhere, women experience different symptoms, ranging (in addition to heavy painful periods) to fatigue, depression, painful bowel movements, pain during sex, back pain, and depression.
Endometriosis affects 2 million women in the UK alone. Most are diagnosed between 25 and 40, and it’s more common in women over 30 who haven’t had children.
Some women don’t suffer any symptoms at all and may not even know they have endometriosis until they struggle to have a baby (infertility is a common symptom).
What causes endometriosis?
Doctors don’t yet know what causes it. It may be one of a number of causes or a combination of several. We do know that it can be hereditary, and that retrograde menstruation might play a role (the womb lining stays inside the body rather than leaving the body as your period). Or it might be an immune system problem.
Doctors do know that oestrogen dominance (where there is an excess of oestrogen compared with progesterone) plays a part.
Diagnosing endometriosis
The only way to officially diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy, an operation during which a tiny camera is inserted into the pelvis. On average, it can take 7.5 years for a woman to be diagnosed with the condition, so if you have any concerns, you should see your GP right away.
There is currently no cure for endometriosis, but nutritional therapy can be an effective way to help you manage symptoms.
If this is something you have been diagnosed with, I warmly invite you to book a free female hormone health check with me. During our call, you can tell me about your experience, your diagnosis and we can work out the best next steps for you.
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