Endometriosis Awareness Week

Endometriosis Awareness Week for the year2017 is 03 to 09 March. Among the aims of marking this week are: to raise greater awareness and understanding of this disease, highlight the consequences living with the disease, help persons affected directly or indirectly by the disease to get the best care and to play an active role in making a difference

In line with these aims, the Medical Service throws the spotlight on endometriosis in this month of March in which Women’s Day is celebrated.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a fairly common but little known chronic condition where tissue that looks like and behaves like the lining of the inner side of womb occurs outside of the womb. These patches or lumps of tissue commonly occur on the outer surface of the womb, in the Fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the surface of the urinary bladder, other surfaces in the pelvis and the bowels. Rarely more distant sites like the lungs or the liver are affected. It affects women in their reproductive years.

No one knows the precise cause of endometriosis. Heredity, environmental toxins, the immune system, inflammation and mechanical factors like backflow of menstrual blood have all been proposed as possible causes.

How common is endometriosis?

Endometriosis affects 10-15 percent of women of child bearing age. It is estimated that approximately 176 million women in the world suffer from endometriosis. Many cases remain undiagnosed.

In Austria, the estimate is that about 300,000 girls and women have endometriosis and half of them suffer from long-term symptoms and complications.

What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

Pain and infertility are the main features of this disease. Among women with infertility, 30-40% have endometriosis. For women with endometriosis who do get pregnant, the disease often improves

Symptoms of endometriosis are not specific and can vary widely from person to person. Some women have no symptoms at all, and may get diagnosed incidentally or only when they being checked for the cause of infertility.

Most women with endometriosis get pain in the pelvic area, often quite severe, during menstruation. Some women experience this pain all the time. Also, the severity of the pain may not correlate directly with the extent of the disease.

Other symptoms include fatigue, heavy menstruations, nausea,

Over time, endometriosis can cause internal organs and tissues to get matted together and distort the internal anatomy in the affected area. This usually requires surgery to fix it.

How is it diagnosed? 

It can be difficult to diagnose endometriosis because the symptoms can vary considerably, and many other conditions can cause similar symptoms. Many women with endometriosis suffer for years before the diagnosis is finally made. This is because the symptoms, if present, are non-specific. Diagnosis is made definitively by laparoscopy or ‘keyhole surgery’.

Treatment of Endometriosis

Endometriosis can be a difficult condition to deal with, both physically and emotionally. Although there is no cure available at the moment, there are a number of treatment options that help relieve symptoms, slow down the progression of the disease and improve fertility. Without treatment, 30% of sufferers get better and 40% get worse.

Menopause brings relief naturally.

Pain medications and hormone treatment are commonly used to achieve relief and remission. The combined oral contraceptive pill is helpful in mild cases.

Surgical treatment is helpful and often necessary and in many cases.

Specialised Centres for Endometriosis in Vienna

There are three specially accredited specialised centres for endometriosis on Vienna:

The Vienna General Hospital (AKH)

https://frauenheilkunde.meduniwien.ac.at/gyn/endometriosezentrum/

The Wilhelminenspital

http://www.wienkav.at/kav/wil/ZeigeText.asp?ID=50617

The private hospital Goldenes Kreuz

http://www.goldenes-kreuz.at/leistungsbereiche-en/gynaekologie-und-geburtshilfe-en

 

For further information on endometriosis, go to:

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/conditioninfo/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Endometriosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx