About endometriosis

Endometriosis (pronounced “en-doh-mee-tree-oh-sis”) is usually found in women aged between 25 and 49; it’s rare in women under 20. It’s estimated that up to 15 out of 100 premenopausal women have endometriosis.

Endometriosis is most common on the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissues that hold your womb in place. You can also get endometriosis on or around other organs in your pelvis and abdomen (tummy), such as your bladder or bowel. Rarely, endometriosis can occur in the space around your lungs or heart.

Endometriosis can cause cysts (endometrioma) to form on the ovaries. These cysts may not cause you any pain – you may only find out about them during an internal examination to check your fertility.

In some women, endometriosis gets better on its own, but for most, it gets worse without treatment.

Symptoms of endometriosis

The symptoms of endometriosis can vary. Some women have no symptoms at all, while others have severe pain. The most common symptom is pelvic pain that feels like period pain.

Other symptoms include those listed below.

• Chronic pelvic pain – a chronic illness is one that lasts a long time, sometimes for the rest of the affected person’s life. The term chronic refers to time, not how serious a condition is.
• Pain during sex.
• Changes to your periods, such as a small loss of blood before the period is due (spotting), irregular bleeding or heavy periods.
• Painful bowel movements.
• Extreme tiredness.

Endometriosis on the bowel may cause swelling of your lower abdomen, pain when you have a bowel movement or blood in your faeces during a period. Endometriosis on the bladder can cause pain when you urinate or blood in your urine during a period. Symptoms of endometriosis usually disappear after the menopause.

Complications of endometriosis

Complications of endometriosis include those listed below.

• The bleeding can form bands of scar tissue (adhesions) that can attach to the organs in your pelvis and abdomen.
• Reduced fertility that may have no obvious cause or may be caused by adhesions forming on or near to your ovaries or fallopian tubes.
• An increased risk of miscarriage or giving birth prematurely.
• Cysts can bleed or rupture, causing severe pain.
• Endometriosis of the intestine can cause your bowel to become blocked or twisted.
• An increased risk of certain types of cancer, particularly ovarian cancer.

Causes of endometriosis

No one knows for certain what causes endometriosis or why some women get it and others don’t. Endometriosis can affect any woman of childbearing age.

You’re more likely to develop endometriosis if you:

• have a mother or sister who has endometriosis
• have low fertility
• start your period early
• go through the menopause late
• have frequent, heavy or painful periods

Diagnosis of endometriosis

Your GP will ask you about your symptoms and examine you. He/she may also ask you about your medical history. Your GP may wish to perform a vaginal examination. If he/she thinks you may have endometriosis, he/she will refer you to a gynaecologist (a doctor specialising in women’s reproductive health).

The only way to be sure that you have endometriosis is to have a laparoscopy. A laparoscopy is a procedure that allows your surgeon to look inside your abdomen. The procedure involves passing a narrow, flexible, tube-like telescopic camera (a laparoscope) into your abdomen through a small cut. Your surgeon will examine the organs in your pelvis by looking at pictures sent to a monitor.

The diagnostic procedure takes about 30 minutes and is usually done as a day case under general anaesthesia. This means you will be asleep during the procedure. You will be asked to follow fasting instructions. Typically you must not eat or drink for about six hours before a general anaesthetic. However, some anaesthetists allow occasional sips of water until two hours beforehand. You usually won’t need to stay overnight in hospital.

If you have mild or moderate endometriosis, the affected tissue can sometimes be removed at the same time, which may prolong your procedure. If your surgeon finds that you have severe endometriosis, he or she may remove a small piece of the endometrial tissue for testing in a laboratory to confirm that it’s endometriosis and not cancer.

Treatment of endometriosis

There is currently no cure for endometriosis, but treatments are available for managing the symptoms. These aim to:

• relieve pain and heavy bleeding
• shrink or slow down the growth of the endometrial tissue on other organs
• improve your fertility

Medicines used to treat endometriosis don’t improve fertility, but surgery can help if the endometriosis is interfering with the normal workings of the womb and ovaries. Some women with endometriosis who want to have children may need fertility treatment.

The type of treatment you have will depend on your age, the severity of your symptoms and whether or not you want to have children.

Self-help

Expert patient courses are free, six-week courses designed to teach people how to manage pain and live with a chronic condition. Your GP can give you further information and details of your nearest course.

Medicines

Painkillers

You can take over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen. Always read the patient information that comes with your medicine and if you have any questions, ask your pharmacist for advice.

Hormonal medicines

Hormonal medicines that reduce the amount of oestrogen in your body will reduce the size of the endometriosis and ease your symptoms. Some examples are:

• gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues (eg buserelin)
• progestogens (eg norethisterone)
• androgens (eg danazol)

The combined oral contraceptive can also be used, but it isn’t licensed for the treatment of endometriosis. Prescribing outside the licence is called off-label use. This means the medicine is being used to treat a condition for which the medicine has not been licensed and isn’t listed in the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine. Your doctor can legally prescribe outside the licence if he or she feels the medicine will be effective for you.

These hormonal treatments all have different side-effects. Your doctor may suggest trying several hormonal medicines to find one that works best for you. Always ask your doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.

Hormonal medicines (but not oral contraceptives or GnHR analogues) can harm a developing baby, so you should use a barrier method of contraception (such as condoms) to prevent you becoming pregnant while taking these medicines.

Treatment with medicines won’t cure endometriosis and symptoms usually return when you stop taking them.

Surgery

The aim of surgery is to remove as much of the endometriosis as possible while still enabling you to have children. You may need surgery if:

• you have severe pain that isn’t responding to painkillers or hormonal medicines
• you want to have children but are having trouble conceiving
• your examination showed that the endometriosis is larger than 4 to 5cm (1.5 to 2 inches)
• the endometriosis is interfering with the normal workings of organs such as your bowel

The endometriosis may be cut away, or it can be destroyed with heat from an electric current or a laser (endometrial ablation). This can usually be done by a procedure called laparoscopy (the same procedure you will have had during your diagnosis). Your surgeon will make small cuts in your abdomen and then use a laparoscope to view the inside of the pelvis and remove the endometriosis (this is called keyhole surgery).

There’s a chance your surgeon may need to convert your keyhole procedure to open surgery. This means making a bigger cut on your abdomen. This is only done if it’s impossible to complete the operation safely using the keyhole technique. Your surgeon will give you more information about which option is best for you.

In some women endometriosis can come back after surgery. Your surgeon may recommend you take hormonal medicines after the surgery to help delay the return of symptoms.

Complementary therapies

Some women find that complementary treatments such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal remedies and homeopathy are helpful for relieving pain. However, there is no clinical evidence to support this. Your GP can advise you on these treatments and refer you to a qualified practitioner.

After your treatment

Your doctor may use ultrasound, X-ray or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to look inside your pelvis and monitor how the endometriosis is responding to treatment.

Ovarian cysts are growths that develop in or on the ovary during ovulation.

Ovary is the organ that is most prone to a number and variety of cysts in the body of a woman. The ovarian function of producing hormones and releasing eggs is directly related to the formation of cysts. Usually they occur in the reproductive age of a woman but they can occur in girls or women of any age.

An ovarian cyst is a sac or pouch that develops in or on the ovary more often during ovulation. These contents are in the form of liquid but they could be solid or a mixture of liquid and solid materials. Even though ovarian cysts are small about the size of a pea or a kidney bean, they grow to the size of softball or even larger. Large ovarian cysts are quite remarkable because the ovary itself is about the size of a walnut. Ovarian cysts are very common and most of

 Indications of an ovarian cyst

There are many kinds of ovarian cysts and since their size and number also varies they cause a variety of symptoms. Many cysts even do not cause any symptoms and can be discovered during a regular gynecological check up. However, abdominal pain is the first indicator of an ovarian cyst and if the cyst is large you may face pain or feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen. These cysts can also bring lower abdominal pain during intercourse.

Other possibility of such pain might be the stem that forms on some cysts and becomes twisted that also stops the normal flow of blood and causes intense burns of pain. If a cyst ruptures, it can cause severe lower abdominal pain along with weakness, nausea or vomiting.

Cyst can also cause other symptoms and can press on the rectum leading to constipation or on the bladder creating an urge to urinate. You should not ignore any of these symptoms as they could also be the signs of a gastrointestinal disturbance or any bladder infection.

 Results such as irregular periods and infertility

Ovarian cysts can cause irregular periods in a condition called polycystic ovaries whereby the hormonal system regulating the ovaries is disturbed and may cause to form a large number of cysts. Some women also face trouble in pregnancy.

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When one talks about ovarian cyst, the two most popular ideas for remedies that can pop up on anyone’s mind are drugs or medications and going under the knife or going through surgical procedure which is, of course, a natural reaction. Well, you can’t blame anyone who thinks of surgery right away. They want to eliminate ailments like cancer or ovarian cysts in a fast manner. But although surgery can be the best option for an ovarian cyst treatment, it’s not the only one. Nowadays, there are lots and lots of techniques how to eradicate this woman health problem once and for all without even using any kinds of drugs. It seems that there is a great comeback for natural remedies and there are even those that are good for getting rid of ovarian cysts. Would you like to know how to remove ovarian cysts for good using only a natural treatment?

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Ovarian cyst

What are ovarian cysts?

A cyst is a fluid-filled sac, and can be located anywhere in the body. On the ovary, different types of cysts can form. The most common type of ovarian cyst is called a functional cyst, which often forms during the normal menstrual cycle. Each month, a woman’s ovaries grow tiny cysts that hold the eggs. When an egg is mature, the sac breaks open to release the egg, so it can travel through the fallopian tube for fertilization. Then the sac dissolves.

In one type of functional cyst, called a follicular cyst, the sac doesn’t break open to release the egg and may continue to grow. This type of cyst usually disappears within one to three months.

A corpus luteum cyst, another type of functional cyst, forms if the sac doesn’t dissolve. Instead, the sac seals off after the egg is released. Fluid then builds up inside of it. This type of cyst usually goes away on its own after a few weeks. However, it can grow to almost four inches and may bleed or twist the ovary and cause pain.

Clomid or Serophene, which are drugs used to induce ovulation, can raise the risk of getting this type of cyst.

These cysts are almost never associated with cancer.

There are also other types of cysts:

• Endometriomas. These cysts develop in women who have endometriosis, when tissue from the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. The tissue may attach to the ovary and form a growth. These cysts can be painful during sexual intercourse and during menstruation.
• Cystadenomas. These cysts develop from cells on the outer surface of the ovary. They are often filled with a watery fluid or thick, sticky gel. They can become large and cause pain.
• Dermoid cysts. The cells in the ovary are able to make hair, teeth, and other growing tissues that become part of a forming ovarian cyst. These cysts can become large and cause pain.
• Polycystic ovaries. The eggs mature within the follicles, or sacs, but the sac doesn’t break open to release the egg. The cycle repeats, follicles continue to grow inside the ovary, and cysts form.

What are the symptoms of ovarian cysts?

Many women have ovarian cysts without having any symptoms. Sometimes, though, a cyst will cause these problems:

• pressure, fullness, or pain in the abdomen
• dull ache in the lower back and thighs
• problems passing urine completely
• pain during sexual intercourse
• weight gain
• painful menstrual periods and abnormal bleeding
• nausea or vomiting
• breast tenderness

How are ovarian cysts found?

Since ovarian cysts may not cause symptoms, they are usually found during a routine pelvic exam. During this exam, your doctor is able to feel the swelling of the cyst on your ovary. Once a cyst is found, the doctor may perform an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create images of the body. With an ultrasound, the doctor can see how the cyst is shaped; its size and location; and whether it’s fluid-filled, solid, or mixed. A pregnancy test is also done. Hormone levels (such as LH, FSH, estradiol, and testosterone) may also be checked. Your doctor may want to do other tests as well.

To find out if the cyst might be cancerous, your doctor may do a blood test to measure a substance in the blood called CA-125. The amount of this protein is higher if a woman has ovarian cancer. However, some ovarian cancers do not make enough CA-125 to be detected by the test. There are also non-cancerous diseases that increase the levels of CA-125, like uterine fibroids and endometriosis. These non-cancerous causes of increased CA-125 are more common in women under 35, while ovarian cancer is very uncommon in this age group. For this reason, the CA-125 test is recommended mostly for women over age 35, who are at high risk for the disease and have a cyst that is partially solid.

How are cysts treated?

Watchful waiting. The patient waits and gets re-examined in one to three months to see if the cyst has changed in size. This is a common treatment option for women who are in their childbearing years, have no symptoms, and have a fluid-filled cyst. It also might be an option for postmenopausal women.

Surgery. If the cyst doesn’t go away after several menstrual periods, has gotten larger, looks unusual on the ultrasound, causes pain, or you’re postmenopausal, the doctor may want to remove it. There are two main surgical procedures:

• Laparoscopy?if the cyst is small and looks benign on the ultrasound, your doctor may perform a laparoscopy. This procedure is done under general anesthesia. A very small incision is made above or below the navel, and a small instrument that acts like a telescope is inserted into the abdomen. If the cyst is small and looks benign, it can be removed.
• Laparotomy?if the cyst is large and looks suspicious, the doctor may perform a procedure called a laparotomy. This procedure involves making bigger incisions in the stomach to remove the cyst. While you are under general anesthesia, the doctor is able to have the cyst tested to find out if the tissue is cancerous. If it is cancerous, the doctor may need to remove the ovary and other tissues that may be affected, like the uterus or lymph nodes.

Birth control pills. If you frequently develop cysts, your doctor may prescribe birth control pills to prevent you from ovulating. This will lower the chances of forming new cysts.

Can ovarian cysts be prevented?

Ovarian cysts cannot be prevented. Fortunately, the vast majority of cysts don’t cause any symptoms, are not related to cancer, and go away on their own. Talk to your doctor or nurse if you notice any changes in your period, pain in the pelvic area, or any of the major symptoms listed above. A pelvic exam, possibly with an ultrasound, can help determine if a cyst is causing the problem. If a woman is not seeking pregnancy and develops functional cysts, frequently, future cysts may be prevented by taking oral contraceptives, Depo-Provera, or Norplant.

Each woman fears having to go under the knife for ovarian cyst removal. But it’s a measure that is unavoidable when there are severe problems from a cyst in the ovary – but this is a step that’s taken as a final alternative. Often, such conditions come up as a result of the situation is uncared for and left untreated. And practitioners of standard drugs prescribe elimination as the ultimate solution when every thing else has failed. Nevertheless, skeptics nowadays contest that typically no surgery is required and that, fairly a number of sorts of cysts could also be managed, if only the right remedy choice is opted for. Also, they really feel that if the patient takes applicable measures proper firstly, the ultimate step of surgery will never in the end have to be taken. Due to this fact, if you are affected by this condition, it is best to do every little thing to concentrate on the problem and understand how severe it’s before moving into for the option for removing the cyst.

Circumstances and factors

Removing the cyst can become a should when the cysts within the ovary are cancerous, or when there is some other complication that’s difficult to be resolved with normal treatment. Such situations could also be quite grave and even turn life threatening for the person. However you don’t want surgical procedure in all cases. But there are some conditions comparable to when the cyst will get ruptured that can trigger a lot of fear and when this occurs, removing is likely to be the only option. But before the final decision is taken on surgical procedure, the physician needs to be thoroughly asked – it may additionally be a good suggestion to hunt a second opinion before going ahead. Search an answer to those questions.

• Why is surgical procedure wanted?
• Can an alternate treatment remove the ovarian cyst?
• Dangers – what are they?
• Can surgical procedure guarantee outcomes?
• What’s the restoration time from surgical procedure?

You need additionally to decide whether you are emotionally able to take care of surgery or not because surgery can drain most individuals emotionally. Therefore, you should speak with a counselor to prepare your self emotionally for it. Also, get completely acquainted with the method of removing and its related elements so that you get a clear concept of the surgery.

The method of eradicating the ovarian cyst

The process starts as soon as the analysis is complete. There are fairly a couple of tests that must be made and treatments in circumstances where the surgery is decided upon. However before the surgical procedure is feasible, other ailments that the woman suffers from needs to be managed because otherwise this will result in pointless complications. Those who have diabetes need to either deliver up or down the extent of sugar within the blood as the case may be in order that there is no problem in the course of the surgery. The blood pressure and coronary heart problems also must be watched carefully since weeks before the surgery. And when the precise course of is carried out, in some instances, simply the cyst can be removed, however in some situations the ovary itself might need to be removed. Usually surgical procedure is sort of secure and there are not any risks for the lady’s fertility, even when in cases where each the ovaries should be removed. However the gynecologist still must be consulted earlier than the surgery to get solutions for all of the questions which will arise. How the surgical procedure is carried out may additionally not be the same in all cases. Thus, know concerning the actual course of in your case from the surgeon in the beginning itself. The doctor should let you know concerning the dangers involved in your case. However remember that there might be issues after the anesthesia has been administered and even when the surgery is carried out and likewise after it’s over. The restoration time may range – it can be as little as 2 days or as a lot as a week.

Alternative for surgical procedure

Even the simplest type of surgical procedure will be traumatic. Hence, many women understandably look for different options when trying to remedy their ovarian cyst problem. Although surgery is crucial if situations are critical, you possibly can take some measures beforehand to prevent it. To help you prevent and deal with ovarian cysts, a holistic approach can be particularly beneficial. Holistic strategy entails using multidimensional strategies to help you handle and cure ovarian cysts. Generally, even surgical procedure will be ineffective when it comes to restoring the stability in the physique which would forestall additional prevalence of cysts. That is the place holistic strategy can work its particular magic with its flawless scientific approach. Holistic method can make use of various remedies along with a sensible plan of motion that may make it easier to overcome your issues related to ovarian cysts extra effectively. It also scores over typical remedy as it doesn’t simply tackle the symptoms just like the latter, but also works out a cure for the otherwise sophisticated and challenging ovary cysts. With the holistic method it’s also possible to stop the issues which will require ovarian cyst elimination by surgery.

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