Specialists are trying to raise awareness about endometriosis, a disease that affects 1 out of 10 women in fertility age.
It is a chronic disease in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus is found elsewhere in the body, especially in the pelvic cavity and ovaries, behind the uterus, ligaments of the uterus, bladder or intestines, although there are cases in which that tissue grows in the lungs and other parts of the body, including the brain.
Its origin is unknown and it can affect any woman on reproductive age. Even though there is no cure for endometriosis, there are different treatments including analgesics for pain, hormone treatment and surgery.
Thousands of women suffer from severe pain and discomfort caused by endometriosis and they do not look for medical help meanly because its symptoms are confused with PMS. According to doctor Raúl Sotomayo, although it is not a malignant disease, it worsens with time, therefore women need to know how to identify it because great pain and heavy menstrual bleedings are not normal.
Its symptoms are:
-Painful, sometimes disabling cramps during the menstrual period.
-Lower back pain or abdominal pain.
-Heavy menstrual bleeding.
-Intestinal disorders such as diarrhea, constipation, pain with bowel movements (defecation), abdominal cramps. Even painful bowel movements during menstruation.
-Pain during or after sexual intercourse.
-Pelvic pain or lumbago that can occur at any time.
-Amenorrhea (menstrual absence) because of internal bleeding into the abdominal cavity.