OB/GYNs discuss signs of endometriosis during awareness month

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – It’s National Endometriosis Month, and it’s a good time to recognize the disease and understand what to look for if you think you may have it.

One in ten women will be diagnosed with endometriosis, typically women in their 30s and 40s, though it can affect any woman of reproductive age.

Dr. Julie Gibbons, an OB/GYN at Mercy says endometriosis is where tissue grows outside of the uterus.

“The cells that belong in the lining of the uterus, either work their way into the muscle of the uterus or on the outside of the uterus like the years to ovaries, bowel and bladder,” said Dr. Gibbons.

There are several symptoms of endometriosis, like pelvic pain, heavy menstrual cycles, and more. If you think you may have it, your doctor can check for it.

“They definitely need to see a doctor or GYN doctor, tell them what’s going on with their symptoms, and then we would do an exam. And then we can do ultrasounds, so on,” said Dr. Gibbons.

One of the main ways to diagnose it is by a laparoscopy that takes photos of the uterus and surrounding areas.

There are several treatments for endometriosis, but no cure.

“We can do birth control pills, IUDs, the birth control shots and things of that sort,” said Dr. Gibbons.

Endometriosis is a leading cause of infertility. Dr. Gibbons says the sooner you get diagnosed the better, to prevent scar tissue build-up and further damage to fertility.

“It’s very important, especially if you want to preserve your fertility because we want to try to limit the inflammation and the scar tissue and so on,” said Dr. Gibbons. “There’s all kinds of treatments to try to alleviate the symptoms and try to help preserve fertility. If in cases there is severe scar tissue or those deposits of endometriosis that we call endometrioma, they might need minor or major surgery.”

For more information on endometriosis, you can visit here.

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