Endometriosis: The Pain Is Not In Your Head

11 percent Of Women Of Childbearing Age In This Country Have Endometriosis Despite its seriousness, endometriosis is often written off as a woman’s active imagination or painful periods. It may induce infertility and crippling agony that disrupts everyday life, particularly for women. Endometriosis, therefore, is what? This condition arises when the tissue that typically lines the lining of the uterus implants outside of the uterus, usually in the abdominal cavity, according to Kecia Gaither, M.D., head of Perinatal Services/Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYC Health+Hospitals/Lincoln. But that stray tissue may go anywhere: the lungs, the brain, the eyes, the skin, and even scar tissue. So it’s not just restricted to the abdomen, either. The tissue may no longer be in the uterus, but it acts as if it were there; near the end of a woman’s period, it bursts and bleeds, leading to inflammation, scarring, and discomfort. Endometriosis affects around 11 percent of American women of reproductive age. High-risk factors include a lack of family history of the illness, heavy meat and fatty food consumption, and a history of abnormally lengthy menstrual cycles. RELATED: Preparing for Endometriosis Treatment: 7 Things I Wish I Knew Genetics Gaither says that physicians still don’t...