There are frequently asked questions about endometriosis because loving a woman with endometriosis can be hard and challenging at times.
After a while, avoiding an endometriosis flare up can feel like just another task endowarriors have to check off their to-do lists. Did laundry? Check. Ran my business? Check. Avoided an endo flare up? Check. But can I be blunt? No matter how long you’ve been on your endo journey and no matter h
If you’re newly diagnosed or a long-time endo warrior, we’ve pulled together a list of useful resources for endometriosis which offer support and advice.
Do you suffer from Endometriosis? Here are some of my favorite Soothing Endometriosis Must-Haves for you to try! Don't let the pain win, you got this!
After a while, avoiding an endometriosis flare up can feel like just another task endowarriors have to check off their to-do lists. Did laundry? Check. Ran my business? Check. Avoided an endo flare up? Check. But can I be blunt? No matter how long you’ve been on your endo journey and no matter h
Endometriosis commonly causes flares where symptoms become much worse and can sometimes lead to a visit to ER. Find out some of the triggers of a flare and self help measures you can use
"What does endometriosis feel like?" This is a question many ask - and wonder if their pain might be being caused by Endometriosis. In this post, I share
There are frequently asked questions about endometriosis because loving a woman with endometriosis can be hard and challenging at times.
I’ve read bits and pieces here and there that Endometriosis can grow on or inside of your lungs. An EndoSister had posted in one of the many Facebook support groups that I follow t…
Primarily she was diagnosed with endometriosis and fibromyalgia was just another physiological process that affected her afterward.
Endometriosis fatigue is real! For many of us it's caused by, at least un part chronic inflammation. If you're tired of having endometriosis exhaustion, learn the best steps for treatment, including endometriosis diet, supplement, and lifestyle tips, to reclaim your energy, fertility, and life.
Are You Tired of Waking Up to Endometriosis Pain Every Day, Wondering if Relief Will Ever Come? Do You Feel Like You've Tried Everything, Yet the Misery
What is endo belly? Endo belly is a symptom of endometriosis, causing severe endometriosis bloating. What are the treatments for endo belly? First you have to discover what's causing it!
For 3 years I would complain to my ob/gyn (who I’ll refer to as Dr. C) about pain and other symptoms. Each year the symptoms would increase both by num…
Endometriosis has many steps to establish and spread, but it all starts with an endometriosis cell. That cell is created thanks to many triggers, including dioxins, phthalates, genetic inheritances, BPA, and even chronic inflammation. By removing these triggers, we may be able to change the way endo
After a while, avoiding an endometriosis flare up can feel like just another task endowarriors have to check off their to-do lists. Did laundry? Check. Ran my business? Check. Avoided an endo flare up? Check. But can I be blunt? No matter how long you’ve been on your endo journey and no matter h
*This post was first posted on MyEndoTeam and is shared on WordsByMara with permission. —- Dear Endometriosis, We’ve known each other for quite some time now. You were quite tricky to n…
Affecting about 11% of females, endometriosis is a disease of menstruation. It is a hormonal inflammatory condition where estrogen-dependent uterine tissue forms somewhere else in the body, usually somewhere in the pelvic region, or in any of the spaces between the bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectu
March is officially endometriosis awareness month and that means it’s time for me to get writing. Endometriosis awareness has come on in leaps and bounds since I started this blog way back in the dim and distant past of 2009 and even more so from the time before that. This has led to some noticeable real world differences. For me, I’ve noticed that when I talk about my research interests there are a lot more people who know about endo, or have at least heard of it; I certainly don’t get as many blank stares as I used to. However, endometriosis still doesn’t receive the attention that it deserves from governments and policy makers, so I salute those brave souls battling to raise awareness of this disease. Endometriosis is far from rare, however there are rare ways in which endometriosis can present itself. This week’s post is dedicated to those rare forms of endo, found in unexpected places, to create an ‘endometriosis atlas’ of sorts. Anyone who is familiar with endometriosis will know that it is usually found on or around the pelvic reproductive organs, such as the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and the surrounding ligaments and structures. What is less well known is that endometriosis has been found in almost every part of the human body, although finding endo outside the ‘normal’ locations is rare to extremely rare depending on the location. I’ve scoured through the literature and come up with the diagram below showing all the places endo has been found in the body. (Click on image for larger version) Original image from clipartqueen.com As I mentioned before, many of these incidences of endo are rare, some of the cases (like endo in the heart/brain/nose) have only ever been reported once or twice, so whilst they are not impossible, they are very unlikely. In a lot of these cases patients report cyclical symptoms, like pain or bleeding around the time of menses, which is really the only clue physicians have that endo may be the culprit. Equally, or perhaps more unusual than the odd locations of endometriosis in women, is the occurrence of endometriosis and endomyometriosis (a uterus like mass containing uterine muscle and endometrium) in men. There have only ever been around a dozen cases of male endometriosis reported, so it is an extremely rare phenomenon. Below is a diagram, similar to the one above showing, the locations of male endometriosis and endomyometriosis. (Click on image for larger version) Interestingly, the majority of these cases have been in men undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer, or men with a condition or medication that would alter their normal hormonal balance. One of the more plausible explanations for male endometriosis is that, during the very early stages of development, small pieces of embryonic female reproductive system precursors remain and can become ‘activated’ when exposed to external hormonal influences (I’ve given a better explanation of this previously). Maybe this could give us some insight into how endometriosis in women develops? Here are the sources for each of the case reports where endo was found. It is probably isn’t a comprehensive list as there are multiple reports for each incidence, but I’ve only chosen one as a representative example. Brain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3559727 Tear ducts: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16974134 Nose: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11917731 Heart, lungs and diaphragm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23256014 Heart: http://journals1.scholarsportal.info/details?uri=/00029343/v29i0006/1072_seith Lungs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20580323 Diaphragm: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20601386 Navel: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19944195 Liver: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19587832 Stomach: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25674531 Pancreas: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15558937 Intestine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19886549 Kidney: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16501686 Bladder: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22813980 Skin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20422419 Buttock: http://www.jmig.org/article/S1553-4650(08)01028-5/abstract Cervix http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24337728 Clitoral http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25680686 Perineum http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20862505 Vulva http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25707680 Mons Pubis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23444127 Spine http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25192376 Leg Muscle: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19152878 Male cases: http://ijs.sagepub.com/content/22/5/421.long http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25298953
Do you know what causes endometriosis flare-ups? Here are some endometriosis flare-up symptoms and signs that point to an endometriosis flare-up on the way.
