What is endometriosis?
Q: What is endometriosis?
A: Endometriosis is a sickness where tissue similar to, but not identical to, endometrium cells of the uterus grow outside the uterus.
Q: How common is endometriosis?
A: As many as 11% of American women between 15 and 44 years-old may have this sickness. It is most commonly diagnosed in women 30-40 years-old, but affects people of every age and gender.
Q: Can endometriosis affect fertility?
A: Yes, having endometriosis can sometimes affect fertility. Treating endometriosis may help a woman get pregnant.
Q: What are some symptoms of endometriosis?
A: Symptoms of endometriosis can include pain that lasts for a long time, problems with menstrual flow, and pain that affects many areas of life.
Q: How do doctors diagnose endometriosis?
A: To find out if a woman has endomeitriosos, doctors may order medical tests such as pelvic exams and ultrasounds which will help them see cysts on the ovaries or take an MRI to take pictures inside the body.
Q: How is endomentrosis treated?
A: Endomentrosis can be treated with medicine such as birth control or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists to reduce pain symptoms or through surgery called laparoscopy where the doctor looks inside the body to find any tissue related to it and then takes samples for biopsy under microscope to confirm diagnosis.
