Endometriosis Symptoms and Treatments

Endometriosis

Endometriosis, a condition that occurs somewhat frequently in women during their childbearing years, results in the uterine lining, or endometrium, growing outside of the uterus. The endometrium will thicken with menstruation, however , as the tissue is growing outside of the uterus in the body, there is no place for the uterine lining to escape when it breaks down, resulting in inflammation and scars around the affected areas. The situation is further worsened as time progresses, with each menstrual cycle adding more endometrium, which breaks down and more blood collects in the body with no means of escape. This growth of endometrium will increase the severity of the symptoms of endometriosis, causing further discomfort.

Endometriosis treatment consists of a variety of methods including hormone therapy and surgeries. Laparoscopic surgery is used to remove uterine lining growing outside of the uterus and to enable the patient to still possibly bear children. In more serious cases, endometriosis treatment will require the uterus to be removed with a hysterectomy procedure.

Cancer

In addition to the aforementioned conditions, hysterectomies are used in response to several different types of cancer. Endometrial cancer, also known as uterine cancer, affects the uterine lining, or endometrium. Endometrial cancer occurs when the uterine lining begins to thicken without leaving the uterus. Treatments include a hysterectomy procedure to remove the uterus.

Cervical cancer, which occurs when cells in the cervix begin to uncontrollably grow, is often treated surgically. This will require removal of the pelvic lymph nodes during a hysterectomy procedure.

Finally, tumors growing on the ovaries can mean a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which can be treated surgically. In addition to the ovaries, the uterus may have to be removed as well. After surgery, chemotherapy is used to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are tumors that grow on the outside, the inside, or in the wall of the uterus. While uterine fibroids occur quite frequently in women, with 80% of women developing them, uterine fibroids are most often benign, in fact less than 0.1% of uterine fibroids prove to be cancerous, or less than one in 1,000.

While most women with uterine fibroids do not experience any symptoms, those that do can be subjected to extremely uncomfortable symptoms. Uterine fibroid symptoms include painful periods with excessive bleeding, fullness in the abdomen, and lower back pains. Some women with uterine fibroids experience problems with sexual function and satisfaction. In addition, uterine fibroids can often cause reproductive problems such as infertility, which is rather rare, as well as other problems during pregnancy.

Once uterine fibroids are diagnosed, many women will not need treatment as most do not experience any discomfort from the condition. However, those women that do have discomfort from uterine fibroids do have several options for treatment. These options include over-the-counter medications to relieve pain, and birth control pills to lighten periods. For some more serious cases, surgery is often recommended. These surgeries include a myomectomy for women still wanting to have children, or a hysterectomy for women either past their child bearing years or who no longer want to have children.

Myomectomy

One of the biggest consequences of a hysterectomy procedure is that it eliminates the possibility of a woman having children after undergoing the procedure. The reason for this is that most if not all the necessary structures for reproduction will be removed in the hysterectomy procedure. Because of this, women who have a uterine fibroid problem, but still might want to have children, should consider a less limiting procedure known as a myomectomy.

A myomectomy is a surgical procedure that only removes the uterine fibroids, while keeping the uterus and other reproductive structures intact. This allows women who undergo the procedure to still possible bear children.

A myomectomy is performed with either an open incision in a laparotomy, or with smaller abdominal incisions in a laparoscopy. As the procedure does use the same methods as a laparoscopic hysterectomy procedure, it does carry the same inherent drawbacks.

A myomectomy procedure can also be performed using the Da Vinci Surgical System. During a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, a surgeon can achieve a remarkable level of precision in a myomectomy, and even in uterine reconstruction after the fibroids have been removed. This precision is extremely important in preventing uterine rupture during any possible future pregnancies.

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Summary:

Endometriosis treatment consists of a variety of methods including hormone therapy and surgeries. Laparoscopic surgery is used to remove uterine lining growing outside of the uterus and to enable the patient to still possibly bear children. In more serious cases, endometriosis treatment will require the uterus to be removed with a hysterectomy procedure.