There are many medical conditions affecting women that are well-known because of the publicity by famous individuals.  Even though those conditions are serious, there are some conditions that are not as well-known and just as serious.  Endometriosis is one of them and I’m sure you are saying to yourself, “What is that?”

Endometriosis affects over 70 million women and girls world wide.  Isn’t that an astonishing number?  What’s more astonishing is that most doctors do not truly believe Endometriosis does more than cause pain.  Trust me, I’m a Stage IV Endometriosis patient, the worse stage you can have, and have been told just that.  Doctor’s don’t believe what they can’t see and in order to find Endo you have to have surgery to be diagnosed.  It’s not fatal, but it is a life-long condition.

Endometriosis is when the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, is not just in the uterus, but outside of the abdominal cavity.  You can have Endometriosis anywhere in the body, implants, and when your menstrual cycle comes the hormones in the uterus begin to work as well as the implants.  Normally, the lining sheds after your monthly period, but for those with Endo, wherever the implants are, they can’t shed and so they break up and cause bleeding.  This causes them to inflame and swell up and scar tissue could result.

There’s no known cause for Endometriosis. A few of the symptoms are extremely painful menstrual cramps, abnormally heavy bleeding during your period, painful sex, and difficult pregnancy as well as no symptoms.  There is no cure, but there’s medication to slow down the implants’ growth.  There is also pain medication that can be offered to help with your pain.