Overview of Endometriosis

Endometriosis affects 10% of reproductive-age women (Yale School of Medicine). It affects nearly 176 million women, ranging from 15-49, all over the world (World Endometriosis, 2011). “Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus (endometrial implant) (Mayo Clinic, 2013)” It most commonly involves your ovaries and the lining of the pelvis, but in extreme cases can spread to other parts of the body. The displaced tissue continues to act like it normally would in the uterus, thickening and breaking down with each menstrual cycle. Since the displaced tissue has nowhere to go, it becomes trapped with no way to get out (Mayo Clinic, 2013). This trapped tissue leads to the endometriosis, which can also lead to many other diseases. Cancer is one of the major diseases that endometriosis can lead to. Endometriosis is a very painful and stressful disease. It is so painful in some women that it forces them to have to quit working for a living. Women who suffer with the most severe cases of endometriosis often end up either working from home, or just quit working all together. Endometriosis is a disease that can affect any type of women all over the world.

Typically women in their reproductive years are affected with endometriosis. “While most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed in women aged around 25 to 35 years, endometriosis has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age” (MedicineNet, 2013). Endometriosis is more common in Caucasian women compared to other ethnicities. It is likely that there are some genetic factors that increase a woman’s risk at being diagnosed with endometriosis (MedicineNet, 2013). Endometriosis can b...

... middle of paper ...

...vember 12, 2013, from http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/endometriosis/hic_facts_about_endometriosis.aspx

Mayo Clinic (2013, April 2). Endometriosis. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/endometriosis/DS00289

MedicineNet. (2013, March 19). Endometriosis Symptoms, Diagnosis, Surgery, Treatment - MedicineNet. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from http://www.medicinenet.com/endometriosis/article.htm#endometriosis_facts

World Endometriosis Research Foundation, & Endometriosis Foundation of America (2011, November). IMPACT of endometriosis. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from http://www.womeningovernment.org/files/LoneHummel.pdf

Yale School of Medicine. Endometriosis > Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences | Yale School of Medicine. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/research/labs/biology/endometriosis.aspx