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- What is endometriosis?
- Symptoms of endometriosis
- Causes of endometriosis
- Prevention of endometriosis
- Risk factors for endometriosis
- Complications of endometriosis
- When to see a doctor about endometriosis
- Diagnosis of endometriosis
- Conventional treatment of endometriosis
- Alternative/complementary treatment of endometriosis
- Living with endometriosis
- Caring for someone with endometriosis
Complications of endometriosis
There are a number of complications of endometriosis:
Cysts
Cysts are a common feature of endometriosis with up to 60% of all women with endometriosis developing cysts on the ovaries.
The endometrial implants on the ovaries can be small and red (blood coloured), clear or pink or darker red to brown or white, if they have been present a longer time. Younger women tend to have more red, clear or pink cysts, while older women tend to have cysts that are either white, red-brown, or black. In order to stop the endometrial implant from growing larger, the ovary creates a covering over the top of it and this is how the cysts are formed.
Chocolate cysts are the largest types of endometrial cysts, which can be up to 10cm wide. These cysts have fluid inside which is dark brown and looks like chocolate sauce, hence the name. An endometriosis cyst on an ovary is called an endometrioma.
The endometrial cysts on the ovaries will shed blood at each period.
Some of the endometrial cysts can rupture and bleed into the area around the ovaries, which can infect the whole peritoneum and require immediate emergency surgery (and antibiotics) as this could be life threatening. This is a rare scenario and usually only occurs with very large cysts. Most cysts are diagnosed before they get too large as most cysts cause some pain that require investigation.
Ectopic pregnancy
If the fallopian tubes and both ovaries are implanted with sticky endometrial implants, it can be very difficult (and probably impossible) for an egg to travel from the ovary, down the fallopian tubes and into the uterus in order to be fertilised by a sperm cell. This can cause the egg to become stuck, usually in the fallopian tube, where it can be fertilised by a sperm cell and become an ectopic (unviable) pregnancy.
An ectopic pregnancy is dangerous because it can cause the fallopian tube to burst and cause serious internal bleeding, which can be life threatening.
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Infertility
The main complication of severe endometriosis is infertility. When the endometrial tissue implants on other organs, it causes havoc with the hormones because those endometrial tissues bleed cyclically (as if they were menstruating) and the blood cannot pass out of the cervix. In addition to this, if the fallopian tubes and both ovaries are implanted with sticky endometrial implants, it can be very difficult (and probably impossible) for an egg to travel from the ovary, down the fallopian tubes and into the uterus in order to be fertilised by a sperm cell.
Approximately 30-50% of women with endometriosis have a lot of difficulty trying to get pregnant. The older a woman is, the more severe the endometriosis, the more difficult to get pregnant.
Internal scarring
Another common complications of endometriosis is internal scarring, which occurs due to the endometrial tissue growing outside the endometrium, which bleeds every month. This internal bleeding causes inflammation and makes the body send clotting agents to stop the blood flow. After the bleeding has stopped, this will create scar tissue over the organ or tissue on which the endometrial implant sits. The scar tissue can build up on various organs in the pelvic region over time and this may cause some issues with the ability of those organs to function effectively.
Scarring, especially if it occurs on the ovaries or the fallopian tubes and impairs the ability of the egg to travel down the fallopian tubes and into the uterus for fertilisation, can greatly and adversely impair fertility.
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