Painful periods are the most common of all the menstrual problems faced by menstruating women and most of them go undiagnosed. Endometriosis could be the reason in most of these cases. In fact , it has been estimated that around two million women in the UK suffer from this extremely painful and common condition.
What Is Endometriosis?
It is a condition which occurs when the cells lining the uterus grow outside the uterus, typically on the lining of the pelvis, or in association with the ovaries, tubes and sometimes even the bowel. These respond to the menstrual cycle hormones causing it to grow, then break down and bleed. Since there is no pathway for the internal bleeding to leave the body, therefore it causes pain, inflammation and formation of scar tissue. A endometriosis specialist can prescribe the best treatment for you. Find more info about Fertility Clinic Leicester
Symptoms of Endometriosis
The classic symptoms of endometriosis are painful periods, painful sex and/or infertility. Other symptoms could include persistent leg ache, back ache, bloating, constipation, bowel and bladder symptoms and more importantly heavy, prolonged and irregular periods.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis of endometriosis can only be confirmed by laparoscopy. The treatment could be done by surgery or by medicine alone. The endometrial implants are surgically removed by means of laparoscopy or keyhole surgery. If you don’t want to get surgery done, then the problem is controlled by anti-inflammatory drugs or hormonal pills which block the cycles for 3-6 months so that bleeding doesn’t occur.
It is important to get opinion from a reputed consultant gynaecologist before going ahead with any sort of treatment.