What is endometriosis? An unrecognized disease that affects millions of women

March 14 is World Endometriosis Day, a disease awareness day. There will be activities in the area. Gynecological and pediatric checks are essential for early diagnosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease that can seriously affect the quality of life of women. It is a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus (called an “endometrium”) grows on the outside, in places where it shouldn’t be such as in the ovaries, fallopian tubes. , the outside of the uterus and in the abdomen the organs.

The disease affects around 10 percent of the female population and around one million women in the country suffer from it. It is usually diagnosed more frequently between the ages of 30 and 49, according to health data.

Lesions produced by endometriosis have an uncertain prognosis because they can remain stable, progress and even regress.

Although it is not a widespread disease and perhaps unknown to many, it is estimated to affect more than 176 million women worldwide.

March 14 is World Endometriosis Day, and that is why Sunday in various regions – also in the upper valley – there will be activities, a rock walk among them, to learn more about this disease and how to remedy it, because it affects the quality of life of those who suffer from it.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 10% of women suffer from endometriosis, a condition which is one of the main causes of infertility and for which there is no such thing as yet. treatment capable of curing it, even if it remains to improve the quality of life of patients. It is estimated that, of all women with endometriosis, between 30 and 50% may suffer from infertility. This pathology can also be the cause of an abortion.

Three key questions

LM Neuquén consulted Mariela Sosa, obstetrician at F. López Lima hospital and full member of the Argentine Society of Child and Adolescent Gynecology (SAGIJ), who stressed that “endometriosis should be part of the differential diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain and abdominal pain in women even before the first menstruation.”

“Therapeutic success is the early diagnosis, it prevents and controls pain, increases the quality of life, decreases emotional stress, absenteeism at work and school, causing a significant social and emotional impact on women”, said the doctor.

For this reason, medical treatment should be aimed at controlling the disease to improve women’s quality of life and preserve fertility, Sosa said.

– What are your symptoms?

Pelvic pain is the earliest and most common manifest symptom in women with endometriosis. It usually goes unnoticed because it is associated with menstrual pain: dysmenorrhea and is considered normal. Therefore, the diagnosis is delayed, with the consequent progression of the disease. In general, when it manifests as pain, it is pain associated with the menstrual cycle, intense, progressive, which radiates to the perineum, rectum, sacrum or the root of the thighs. And it does not respond to treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs and / or hormonal contraceptives.
Chronic pelvic pain: As the disease progresses, it can cause pelvic adhesions, and this manifests as progressive pain, sometimes debilitating. He is suspected after ruling out intestinal disease.
Dyspareunia: pain during intercourse, due to involvement of the rectovaginal septum (ligament that supports the uterus and borders the rectum)
Other associated symptoms are: gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fast bowel rhythm), urinary tract disturbances (during urination), vagotonic symptoms (faintness, sweating, asthenia) and premenstrual dysphoria (emotional irritability).

How is it diagnosed?

By questioning and physical examination, excluding bowel disease or other gynecological disorders that cause pain.
Also with a gynecological ultrasound, where pelvic masses characteristic of endometriosis can be found. Other times it can be normal, when the endometrial implants outside the uterus do not form visible masses because they are very small. Adhesions are also not visible, which is why it is common for further studies to be carried out to reach the diagnosis.
Thanks to biological markers, it is a glycoprotein, the concentration of which is determined by a blood test, it serves as a non-specific marker, since it is high in other gynecological and intestinal disorders, but it is used as a tool for presumptive diagnosis endometriosis.
Diagnostic laparoscopy, on the other hand, allows for surgical exploration by videolaparoscopy, which is the definitive diagnostic method of endometriosis, where biopsy samples are taken and the actual extent of the disease in the pelvis and the abdomen is determined.

– What is the treatement?

Its main goals should be to suppress pain, stop the progression of the disease and preserve fertility.
It should be individualized to each patient, based on age, extent of disease, severity of symptoms, and desire for current or future pregnancy, Sosa said.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormonal therapies that suppress ovulation are used as the first choice. Other specific hormonal and surgical treatments should be combined if necessary, depending on the course of the disease.