Although the endometrium is a tissue that lines the inside of a woman’s uterus, endometriosis is a complex, chronic, hormone-dependent disease whose causes are unknown. It usually appears in the ovaries, uterus, digestive tract or in the area between the rectum or vagina, and in rarer locations such as wounds, and accompanies women during their fertile and hormonal stage.
Symptoms of endometriosis
Endometriosis is a relatively common disease that can affect any woman and that manifests itself predominantly in the reproductive age during menstruation. It affects about 15% of women.
Symptoms are usually related to the menstrual cycle, such as pain during menstruation or sexual intercourse and even during defecation, significantly altering the quality of life of women. This hinders fertility and leads to absenteeism from work. The intensity of pain does not correlate with the extent or severity of the disease, as some women with advanced disease have few symptoms.
Treatment of endometriosis
Early diagnosis of endometriosis is essential because it offers a greater guarantee of being able to preserve fertility, improve or eliminate pain as soon as possible and minimize side effects. Treatment is a combination of surgery and hormonal treatments.
Surgery, which is generally performed laparoscopically, a minimally invasive technique, allows a hospital stay and a faster recovery than conventional open surgery, and also allows the patient to resume normal activity very quickly.
Management by expert teams, generally multidisciplinary (specialists in reproduction, digestive and urological surgery, laparoscopic gynecologists), is essential to ensure the best results with the least number of interventions and side effects.