What Is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is often associated with debilitating pelvic pain during menstruation, but its symptoms can span all over the body. The condition has an average diagnosis delay of seven to 10 years. So what exactly is endometriosis, and why is it so hard to diagnose? » Subscribe to Seeker! http://bit.ly/subscribeseeker » Watch more Body Language! http://bit.ly/BodyLanguagePlaylist » Visit our shop at http://shop.seeker.com What endometriosis is, is when you have cells that are similar to the lining of the uterus, but those similar cells are found externally, or outside of the uterus. Each cycle, endometrial cells inside the uterus react to your hormone levels by breaking down and being released through the vagina as your period. But with endometriosis, the endometrial-like tissue growing outside of the uterus is doing the same thing. Except these cells have no way to get out of the body. Symptoms of endo will vary, especially based on where the endometrial-like tissue is growing in the body, and often aren’t taken that seriously, brushed off as just a ‘bad period’. Endometriosis is this invisible disease and the way that so many patients describe the disease is like barbed wire being wrapped around their abdomen it really can be endos found anywhere in their body. So the patient looks okay. They look healthy, but they feel miserable. The clumps of tissue that grow outside the uterus are called implants, and they can literally pull on and distort internal organs and muscles. Those degrading cells can cause inflammation that spreads to the surrounding area. In severe cases, implants may eventually scar and basically act like glue, causing organs to stick together when they shouldn’t. These all contribute to the increased risk of issues like ectopic pregnancy and infertility with endometriosis—when it’s found around the reproductive organs, rogue endometrial-like tissue can wreak havoc and prevent normal ovulation. But the lack of awareness around this disease mean