Gina W.

About me:

Please understand this is not a personal profile, it is a profile to give awareness and support to other women with and with out endometriosis.

Hi. I am trying to raise awareness for Endometriosis. Like the breast cancer and HPV, it to needs to be known. This profile is about Endometriosis and its symptoms. So please if you have any questions or facts that are not listed on this page, please message me. Read my blog to find out more about me








Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue, the tissue that lines the uterus and is shed during menstruation, grows outside of the uteruson the ovaries, fallopian tubes, ligaments supporting the uterus, and other areas in the pelvic cavity. Endometriosis can also appear in a woman's bladder, bowel, vagina, or other places in her body.
Like the lining of the uterus, these areas of endometrial tissue respond to the hormones of the menstrual cycle they build up tissue each month, then break down and bleed during menstruation. But unlike the uterus lining, when these endometrial implants (also called growths or lesions) outside the uterus bleed, they can irritate a woman's body.
Despite continued medical research and investigation, the exact cause of endometriosis is unclear. But, there are several theories, including:
The Retrograde Menstruation Theory This is the most widely accepted theory for the cause of endometriosis. During "retrograde menstruation," a woman's menstrual flow backs up through her fallopian tubes, implants in her abdomen, and grows. Some experts believe that all women experience retrograde menstruation, but that women with endometriosis may have either a hormonal or an immune system problem, and as a result, the implants are allowed to grow.
The Genetic Predisposition Theory This theory suggests that endometriosis may be inherited a woman who has female relatives with endometriosis may be more likely to develop the condition herself.
Other Theories Another theory suggests that endometrial tissue is distributed from a woman's uterus to other parts of her body by the blood or the lymphatic system.
Yet another theory suggests that endometriosis is caused by coelemic metaplasia, or cells transforming into endometrial cells, perhaps after stimulation by menstrual blood.
What problems are caused by endometriosis? 71 to 87% of women studied with chronic pelvic pain were found to have endometriosis. Scar tissue buildup is thought to be a cause of chronic pelvic pain.
A woman may experience other symptoms including painful menstruation and pain during sexual intercourse.
Among infertile women, about 30 to 45% have endometriosis.
The symptoms of endometriosis vary greatly from woman to woman, but may include one or more of the following:
Pain with menstruation (more than mild cramps)
Pain with ovulation
Painful sexual intercourse, especially with deep penetration
Sharp pains during and after orgasm
Painful bowel movements
Rectal pain
Rectal bleeding
Painful urination
Bladder pain
Blood in urine
Back pain before and during menstruation
Leg pain before and during menstruation
Abdominal swelling and bloating
Nausea and vomiting, especially when associated with the menstrual cycle
Cycles of constipation and diarrhea
Fatigue
Heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding
Infertility
Shoulder pain during menstruation
Coughing up blood during menstruation (rare)
Shortness of breath during menstruation (rare)
Bleeding from other areas during menstruation (such as eye, skin, etc.) (rare)

Endometriosis symptoms are often worse before and during menstruation. However, many women with endometriosis experience pain at other times also, especially at ovulation (the mid-point of her cycle). Some women experience endometriosis pain that is not related to their menstrual cycle.
Additionally, some women with endometriosis don't have any symptoms and may not know they have endometriosis until a problem, such as infertility, is discovered. The extent of endometriosis has no correlation to the amount of pain a woman will experience.

The conventional treatment options in endometriosis

The treatment of endometriosis in each individual cases are based on:
the anamnesis and presence of concurrent diseases;
clinical symptoms, their intensities;
stage of endometriosis;
reaction to the applied drug therapy and other non medicinal treatment methods;
patient's concern to pregnancy.

The non invasive (conservative) therapy of endometriosis are basically directed towards:
Application of analgesics, for example NSAIDs (Non Steroid Anti-inflammatory Drugs) and other analgesics.
Hormonal therapy: application of gonadotropin-releasing-hormone (Gn-RH) agonists, which inhibits the secretion of estrogens developing so called “medicine caused menopause”; application of Danazol, a synthetic testosterone derivative; application of contraceptive pills containing both estrogen and progesterone which terminates the ovulation and decreases menorrhagia (excessive blood loss during menses).
Surgical methods of treatments of endometriosis include:
Laparoscopic (endoscopic) resections: a tube with optical apparatus called laporascope is inserted into the peritoneum cavity through a small incision, an..opic growths (endometriomas) are resected.
Laparotomy – more invasive method in which the ectopic growths (endometrioma) are resected taking care not to harm much the surrounding healthy tissues.
Hysterectomy – resection of uterine body (in some cases together with the uterine appendages). In some cases a combined methods are used, for example, laparascopic surgery or laporotomy are performed together with a hormonal therapy.
The antagonists of Gn-RH are new approaches being used for the treatments of endometriosis. In fact, the researches claim that this group of drugs, in contrast to the commonly used agonists of Gn-RH, do not cause a broad side effects and at the same time exceed in effectiveness.
The aromatase inhibitors – a novel approach in hormonal therapy of endometriosis, also act by decreasing body's supply of estrogen. They were initially used only in breast cancers. They are usually reserved for patients who have already gone through menopause.
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) cause estrogenic impacts in selective tissues wherever it is necessary (particularly in cardiovascular and osteo-muscular systems), but they do not have any negative effects in uterine and breast tissues. As were approved in some latest research works in animal models, the application of SERMs prevents from osteoporosis and estrogen induced proliferation of endometrium. During its use in rhesus monkeys, suffering from endometriosis, a considerable shrinkage in uterine size and the sizes of ectopic endometrioma growths were observed.
Similarly, the possible use of Selective Progesterone Receptor Modulators (SPRMs) are under investigations. These drugs possess highly selective impacts on progesterone receptors, and thus it is expected that their long-term administration could decrease the ectopic growths of endometriomas with out having any negative impacts on bone tissues.
The use of Extracellular Matrix Modulators (EMMs) are also of increasing interest among the researchers. The proliferating endometrium produces some specific enzymes, while isolation and destruction of these ferments by EMMs can result into one of the most perspective method of endometriosis treatments.
Terbutalin is successfully used for preventing premature birth, but its effectiveness in releasing the pain syndrome during endometriosis is also being studied.
RU-486 (myphepriston) checks the ability of endometriosis to proliferate in response to estrogen, which makes it possible to use in hormonal therapy against endometriosis.
Angiogenesis is also very important field of research works. As we know any newly formed tissues (like endometrioma – ectopic growths) need additional blood supply. Without sufficient blood supply, the hormonal impacts on these ectopic growths have little effect. Thus, the growths of these ectopic endometriomas can be limited by checking the blood supply to them. The drugs, which decelerate or arrest angiogenesis may also check fibrotic growths or formation of adhesions.



I will create a website for Endometriosis. It will include:
The Support email which you can also use now: Endoaware_girl06@yahoo.com

Once the website is made I will post the link in my Blog, my group, in a bulletin, and here on my profile.

Also I will make a spot on this profile for those of you who want to give their support, where u have your link to ur profile for other endo girls to give thanks for helping of to get the personal support they need.




I want to thank every one here who has given their support, it is very important and needed. There are many girls, young and old, out the who need the support that we all give. So thank you also for helping the little "support" group grow.

If any one has any suggestions for the myspace profile, on my myspace group, please feel free to message me about any thing new you would like to see. My email is: EndoSis4ever@aol.com, so if you want to see some thing extra on here that would help this little "support" group grow message me or email me.




Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of cancer death (exceeded by lung cancer in 1985). Breast cancer is three times more common than all gynecologic malignancies put together. The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing steadily from an incidence of 1:20 in 1960 to 1:7 women today.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 211,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year and 43,300 patients will die from the disease. Breast cancer is truly an epidemic among women and we don't know why.

Breast cancer is not exclusively a disease of women. For every 100 women with breast cancer, 1 male will develop the disease. The American Cancer society estimates that 1,600 men will develop the disease this year. The evaluation of men with breast masses is similar to that in women, including mammography.

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PCOS

What is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)?

PCOS is a health problem that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, heart, blood vessels, and appearance. Women with PCOS have these characteristics:
PCOS is the most common hormonal reproductive problem in women of childbearing age.

What are the symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)?

These are some of the symptoms of PCOS:


READ MORE ABOUT IT AT:
4 Woman
Young Womens Health


IBS- Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is understood as a multi-faceted disorder. In people with IBS, symptoms result from what appears to be a disturbance in the interaction between the gut or intestines, the brain, and the autonomic nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function) or sensory function.

Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a change in bowel pattern, such as loose or more frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, and/or constipation.

Treatment options are available to manage IBS—whether symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe.

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About IBS


PID-Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a general term that refers to infection and inflammation of the upper genital tract in women. It can affect the uterus (womb), fallopian tubes (tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus), ovaries, and other organs related to reproduction. The scarring that results on these organs can lead to infertility, tubal (ectopic) pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, abscesses (sores containing pus), and other serious problems. PID is the most common preventable cause of infertility in the United States.

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NIAID