«
»

Endometriosis and Pregnancy – No Cure But Pregnancy is Still Possible

Endometriosis and Pregnancy - Background

Endometriosis is a condition where tissues normally lining a woman’s uterus grow or attach to organs located outside. During a woman’s period, the uterine lining will normally slough off; however the part that grows outside the uterus will remain. During the process of ovulation to menstuation, the uterual tissue that grows externally is continuously provoked. It could tear, break and bleed. This aggravation causes the formation of scar tissue and produces discomfort.

More than seven million females in the United States have endometriosis, says the Endometriosis Research Center. It is a key cause of gynecologic surgeries, chronic pelvin discomfort, and infertility.

What Leads To Endometriosis?

Currently, the reason for the occurrence of endometriosis is still not known, but experts propose several possible causes. Studies to date indicate that the condition may be hereditary.

Symptoms

Endometriosis symptoms would often include chronic pain in one’s pelvic area, irregular or labored breathing, pain in the lower back, pain associated with dysmenorrhea, and fatigue. Women can also expect to feel some pain while ovulating or having sexual intercourse, painful bowel movements, and GI tract conditions like diarrhea, constipation, or bloating. In worse cases, endometriosis may result in infertility.

Diagnosis

The only sure method to diagnose endometriosis is through surgery. Other laboratory and diagnostic tests like ultrasound, CAT scans, or MRIs do not normally lead to conclusive results. The doctor would need to look into the symptoms being felt, as well as the patient’s health history. In order to diagnose the problem, the doctor may opt to conduct a laparotomy or a laparoscopy.

Endometriosis Cure?

Endometriosis has no cure yet, but physicians recommend several treatment methods to help a patient manage her symptoms.

Treatment

Methods to manage endometriosis include:

Pain Medication

Medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin, which are available over-the-counter, are used to decrease discomfort and pain. If no effect is evident, prescription medications could be the next step.

Hormonal Drug Therapy

Hormone drugs can be used to block a patient’s ovulation. The objective here is to prevent further aggravation of the lesions and guard against the onset of other symptoms. These drugs cover GnRH agonists, progesterone drugs, and oral contraceptives. Hormone therapy is used especially for patients who have undergone surgery.

Surgery

Doctors would usually conduct conservative surgical procedures like a laparotomy or a laparoscopy to find out the nature of the disease and to remove unusual growths found. If successful, this will eliminate pain and improve a woman’s chances of getting pregnant.

If a conservative surgical procedure is ineffective, doctors may suggest a hysterectomy or some other invasive surgical method.

Alternative/Natural Therapy

Quite a number of patients choose to go the alternative route of treatments instead of undergoing surgeries and taking medications. Some of the common and more popular natural treatments are acupuncture, Chinese medicaine, and nutrition-based programs like fertility herbs. There exists a considerable amount of studies that support the effectiveness of these natural treatments to do no harm and to awaken the body’s inherent defense mechanisms and healing activity.

Related Blogs

Technorati Tags: , ,

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 10:13 am and is filed under child development, early learning, parenting toddlers, pre k, pre kindergarten, raising toddlers, toddler parent. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply