Danielle Armstrong was told she could struggle to become a mother after endometriosis diagnosis

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue that covers the inside of the uterus, the endometrium, appears in other parts of the body and causes chronic inflammation, scarring and pelvic pain.

The endometriosis tissue outside the uterus will bleed just as it would as the lining of the uterus. According to womenshealth.gov ‘this can cause swelling and pain because the tissue grows and bleeds in an area where it cannot easily get out of your body’.

According to the NHS, it can appear in many different places ‘including the ovaries, Fallopian tubes’. Endometriosis tissue can also appear inside the stomach, in or around the bowel and the bladder.

The condition usually affects girls and women of childbearing age and is less likely to affect women who have had menopause. Endometriosis is more common in women in their 30s and 40s.

The condition affects 6-10 percent of the general female population in the US, according to a scientific paper published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.

Endometriosis UK says that one in ten — around 3million — women of reproductive age in the UK have the condition.

Endometriosis causes

There is no known cause of endometriosis, although one theory posits that family genetics plays a large part.

Other potential causes explored are immune system issues and complications from menstrual period flow, whereby the tissue shed during the period ends up flowing through the Fallopian tube to other parts of the body such as the pelvis.

Endometrium cells can also spread through the body through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.

Endometriosis symptoms

Main endometriosis symptoms include chronic pelvic, lower back and abdominal pain that may be worse than normal during a period; experiencing pain during sexual intercourse, painful bowel movements; bloating and nausea.

Painful periods and difficulty getting pregnant are other key symptoms. Experiencing heavy periods and infertility are noted as being symptomatic of endometriosis.

The NHS recommends seeing a GP when symptoms manifest, in particular if they are ‘having a big impact on your life’.

Endometriosis diagnosis

The doctor will conduct a pelvic exam and may perform an ultrasound, however, a laparoscopy is currently the only way to confirm an endometriosis diagnosis.

A laparoscopy is a procedure that involves the doctor making a small incision in the skin and passing a small tube through it to see if there are any patches of endometriosis tissue.

Endometriosis treatment

There is no cure for endometriosis. However, the NHS offers treatments that can palliate the symptoms.

These include painkillers such as paracetamol, hormone medicines and contraceptives like the pill, the contraceptive patch and an IUS. Surgery to cut out the endometriosis tissue or parts of the organ affected are also options.

However, the NHS says that sometimes doctors may not start treatment immediately in order to see if the symptoms improve on their own.