What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis occurs when cells from the uterine lining (the endometrium) implant in other parts of the body.

Most commonly this tissue is implanted in nearby structures such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, urinary tract, pelvis, and intestines.

The endometrial tissue can implant as far away as the lungs, heart, and central nervous system.

What Causes Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is complex and not caused by just one thing.

The combination of several things contribute to endometriosis

• Retrograde menstruation (meaning blood goes out of the fallopian tubes not just the vagina with the period)
• Estrogen dominance (many times not exclusively excess estrogen, but also insufficient progesterone to balance estrogen’s action)
• Activation of an inflammatory cascade
• Specific genes that increase the possibility of developing endometriosis are still under investigation

Is Endometriosis Really Silent?

The literature says much of endometriosis is silent.

Another possibility is that women expect to have pain.

So the endometriosis pain they experience is attributable to a “normal” painful period, or “normal” painful digestion, or “normal” pain going to the bathroom, or “normal” back pain, or “normal” pelvic pain.

Women experience too much pain.

We Must Stop Accepting Pain as a Normal Part of Womanhood

The following symptoms are associated with endometriosis, and worse with the menstrual cycle.

Don’t just accept them as the normal you.

• Heavy bleeding
• Bleeding between periods
• Painful periods
• Pain with pooping
• Pain with peeing
• Pain with sex
• Pelvic or low back pain

How is Endometriosis Diagnosed?

The gold standard for endometriosis diagnosis is laproscopic surgery with biopsy.

Only laproscopy can stage endometriosis.

However, because surgery very invasive, a presumptive diagnosis can be given based on pelvic ultrasound findings and palpation findings.

If an ovarian chocolate cyst is identified in pelvic ultrasound, this is confirmatory of endometriosis since they are caused by endometrial tissue implantation on the ovary.

Pelvic MRI is considered to be better than pelvic ultrasound for diagnosing deep infiltrations.

Treatment for Endometriosis

The biomedical treatment for endometriosis is non-steroidal anti-inflammatories for mild to moderate cases, and surgery for advanced cases.

Surgery for advanced cases can give a woman a new lease on life.

The functional medicine treatment of endometriosis

• Decrease inflammation and tame immunologic response
  • Avoid Dairy
  • Avoid Gluten
  • Add in anti-inflammatory herbs like turmeric, resveratrol, boswellia, also NAC, selenium, and zinc
• Balance estrogen and progesterone
• Improve break-down and excretion of estrogen
• Treat lipopolysaccharide (LPS) involvement if relevant (it is produced by GI bacterial imbalance and promotes endometriosis and leaky gut)
• Visceral manipulation to decrease pain and adhesions

If you have had surgery for endometriosis, visceral manipulation is a good follow up.

Surgery does not cure endometriosis, but removes endometrial tissue and adhesions.

Not all the endometrial tissue is removed, so more adhesions can develop, and surgery itself promotes adhesions.

It is Important to Address Endometriosis Early

Don’t put up with Pain and Heavy Bleeding

Seek Help