Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Can Endometriosis Cause Stomach Pain

Why Do The Muscles Of The Pelvic Floor Have Spasm What Exactly Causes Non

Endometriosis 101: Moderate To Severe?

Mammalsall mammals, including human beingsreflexly and defensively tense their muscles when challenged. Its part of the fight or flight response to threats. We brace ourselves for impact. It is interesting that a knock-out in a boxing match comes most often after a punch the boxer never saw coming that is, he couldnt brace for the impact, and the impact landed without resistance. Similarly, we all brace our muscles for impact as a reflex.

Looking at the pelvis, especially in women, it is essentially the center of gravity, and these muscles take part in bracing usually as an involuntary reflex. This would explain why women who were sexually abused as girls have twice to three times the frequency of chronic pelvic pain than those who had not: their habit of defensively splinting those pelvic muscles began early in their lives until the usual tone of those muscles is locked in spasm. Any muscle, when it is called upon to outperform what it was designed to do, will use up all of its oxygen and convert to other means for energy, which builds up lactic acid. Add lactic acid to muscles and they will spasm, which is why out-of-shape runners often have to stop because of cramping. Staying in shape tones muscles and makes them capable of doing more out-of-shape muscles fatigue more quickly and cramp. A woman who tenses up her pelvic floor muscles unconsciously hundreds of times a day will outpace their capability.

Can Endometriosis Cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Endometriosis is sometimes mistaken for other conditions that can cause pelvic pain, such as pelvic inflammatory disease or ovarian cysts.

Accordingly, can PID be mistaken for endometriosis?

Just like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease is no joke. An infection of the reproductive organs, PID can cause, along with other symptoms, severe pelvic pain. This is a similar symptom to endometriosis pain, which, contrary to popular belief, does not occur only during period days.

Similarly, can HPV cause pelvic inflammatory disease? Although HPV spreads together with agents causing pelvic inflammatory disease with complaints forcing the patient to seek medical advice, PID has not yet been evaluated as a predictor of cervical cancer. HPV prevalence was 33.74% in patients with PID and 26.40% in the group of women without PID .

Also to know is, what causes PID when not an STD?

Many different types of bacteria can cause PID. Most often, PID is caused by infection from two common STIs: gonorrhea and chlamydia. You can also get PID without having an STI. Normal bacteria in the vagina can travel into a woman’s reproductive organs and can sometimes cause PID.

What happens if you have pelvic inflammatory disease?

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What Does Spasm Of The Pelvic Floor Muscles Feel Like

It is different from how cramping in muscles like your calves will feel. Even though the bunching up of muscle fibers still happens , the natural inclination to rub them out is not feasible in the pelvic muscles. Therefore, these spasms go unattended, which then cause constriction to the blood supply from the muscles pushing on the blood vessels. This decreases the oxygen supply even more, setting up a vicious cycle.

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What About Kegel Exercises

These are not only useless for non-relaxing pelvic floor dysfunction, but may actually be harmful. Kegel exercises are used for relaxation dysfunction, to tone muscles that are not supporting the sphincter. Piling such contractions on top of muscles that are spasming only compounds the pelvic pain.

Now, the importance of the correct diagnosis becomes evident. There are various pelvic floor problems, and strategies for one type can worsen other types if there is no diagnosis or if the diagnosis is wrong.

In the next part of this 3-part series, I will discuss how the correct diagnosis is achieved, whichsadlyis rare. This is why the patient with pelvic pain who comes to me has been to an average of 8 other doctors before me, with incorrect diagnoses ranging from fibromyalgia to previous birth trauma to its all in your head. When a woman goes through a series of doctors who cannot diagnose the cause of her pelvic pain correctly, she is often referred to a pain management doctor, and this specialist is notorious for knowing very little gynecology, causing her to be sent back to yet another gynecologist who doesnt understand the philosophy of chronic pain. Back and forth she goes, with more doctor visits resulting in no help whatsoever.

What Happens When You Have Endometriosis

Menstrual pains: unpacking the Endometriosis enigma

Causes of Endometriosis

The exact cause of endometriosis is unknown, but there are several theories that explain how and why endometriosis happens. Retrograde menstruation is one popular theory of its origin in which blood and tissue from a womans uterus travel through the fallopian tubes into the abdominal cavity during her period. Nearly all women have some degree of retrograde menstruation, but only a few women will get endometriosis. This may be due to differences in a womans immune system.

Another theory of endometriosis origin is called coelomic metaplasia, in which cells in the body outside of the uterus can undergo changes to become cells that line the uterus. This is a common explanation for endometriosis at unusual sites like the thumb or knee. Another possible explanation for endometriosis in locations far from the uterus is that cells from the lining of the uterus travel through blood vessels or the lymphatic system, thereby reaching other distant organs or body areas.

Endometriosis can also spread at the time of surgery. For example, a woman with endometriosis that undergoes a cesarean section could inadvertently have endometriosis implant in the abdominal incision so that she develops endometriosis in the scar from the surgery.

Endometriosis is much more common if a close relative also has the disease, so there may also be genes that influence endometriosis.

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Can I Get Pregnant If I Have Endometriosis

Yes. Many women with endometriosis get pregnant. But, you may find it harder to get pregnant. Researchers think endometriosis may affect as many as one in every two women with infertility.6

No one knows exactly how endometriosis might cause infertility. Some possible reasons include:7

  • Patches of endometriosis block off or change the shape of the pelvis and reproductive organs. This can make it harder for the sperm to find the egg.
  • The immune system, which normally helps defend the body against disease, attacks the embryo.
  • The endometrium does not develop as it should.

If you have endometriosis and are having trouble getting pregnant, talk to your doctor. He or she can recommend treatments, such as surgery to remove the endometrial growths.7

How To Treat And Prevent Endo Belly

Endometriosis should be examined on a case-by-case basis when it comes to pain management and treatment.

That said, you can reduce your endo belly symptoms by successfully managing your endometriosis and treating any underlying gastrointestinal conditions, such as SIBO or irritable bowel syndrome .

“Endo belly generally waxes and wanes with flare-ups of endometriosis, so conditions such as SIBO etc. must also be treated in order to eliminate these symptoms,” says Laurence Orbuch, MD, endometriosis specialist, and director of GYN Laparoscopic/Robotic Associates LA.

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Endometriosis Symptoms You Shouldnt Ignore

March is Endometriosis Awareness month and while the disease affects an estimated 200 million women worldwide like myself, and was one of the , endometriosis symptoms are often missed or ignored. And theres good reason why this occurs.

But first, let me dispel a pervasive and damaging myth about endometriosis: Its not that women are scared or embarrassed to share these symptoms or confide in their doctors. The problem is that many of us still dont know what the possible signs of endometriosis are. Had I known my debilitating cramps and chronic pelvic pain were an indication of something more serious than just an unfortunate menstrual cycle, I would have brought these concerns directly to my OB-GYN.

Many endometriosis symptoms have been normalized by our culture, hovering under the golf-sized umbrella with the label female problems. The injustice in this is when the invisible illness is diagnosed and managed earlier, women have better options and better help managing their pain. Even though there is no known cause or cure, a diagnosis is critical in creating a care plan with your doctor to help mitigate these symptoms and puts an end to the question, what on earth is wrong with me?

Why Do Endometriosis Patients Have Pain

Chronic Pelvic Pain Endometriosis | Treatment and Relief Options | Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine

Endometriosis causes pain. It does this in two ways:

  • Its growth and invasion into normal tissue causes inflammation from a localized immune response which is painful in itself, and the local inflammation it causes evokes a more global immune response for further inflammation, often involving the entire abdomen.
  • The organ it invades suffers dysfunction when the inflammatory response and global immune response causes tissues to stick together and remain stuck , even after the endometriosis has been removed.
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    Endo Belly Before And After:

    “Endo belly typically ignites my body dysmorphia to a staggering degree,” says Danielle Payton, a woman with endometriosis and the co-founder of kuddose, an online digital fitness and wellness platform. “While I know the endo belly will eventually subside and the pain will subside … I’m mentally triggered. It’s a constant battle with my body and my mental wellbeing.”

    Further Problems Caused By Endometriosis

    One of the main complications of endometriosis is difficulty getting pregnant or not being able to get pregnant at all .

    Surgery to remove endometriosis tissue can help improve your chances of getting pregnant, although there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to get pregnant after treatment.

    Surgery for endometriosis can also sometimes cause further problems, such as infections, bleeding or damage to affected organs.

    If surgery is recommended for you, talk to your surgeon about the possible risks.

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    How To Be Taken Seriously By Healthcare Providers

    It can be challenging to put your experience with pain into words during a short visit with a physician. Patients want to be able to explain the intricacies of their pain, and a number scale does not paint the whole picture for their healthcare provider to understand their experience.

    Research about pain has found that there are at least five aspects to describing pain that are important to capture a patients experience. These areas are pain intensity, pain quality, pain location, pain interference, and pain temporality. Even though many people experience pain, there continues to be a gap when it comes to communicating about pain between patients and healthcare providers. Even though they want to gain as much insight as possible, patients have reported sharing their concerns during less than a quarter of visits with a healthcare provider.

    Making physicians understand their pain is even more difficult for people with disabilities. The complexity of interaction between their disability and pain makes it harder for people with disabilities to explain their experiences. On top of this burden, practitioners have expressed feeling less comfortable communicating with patients who have physical disabilities.

    What Are The Symptoms Of Endometriosis

    Pin on Endometriosis â?ï¸?

    Symptoms of endometriosis can include:

    • Pain. This is the most common symptom. Women with endometriosis may have many different kinds of pain. These include:
    • Very painful menstrual cramps. The pain may get worse over time.
    • Chronic pain in the lower back and pelvis
    • Pain during or after sex. This is usually described as a “deep” pain and is different from pain felt at the entrance to the vagina when penetration begins.
    • Intestinal pain
    • Painful bowel movements or pain when urinating during menstrual periods. In rare cases, you may also find blood in your stool or urine.
  • Bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods. This can be caused by something other than endometriosis. If it happens often, you should see your doctor.
  • Infertility, or not being able to get pregnant.
  • Stomach problems. These include diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods.
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    If The Organs Are Intact Why Do Adhesions Cause Dysfunction In Them

    • Bowelcolon and rectum. The bowel has nerve endings which cause pain only one waydistension. This is why babies get colic pain with their intestines being so small. This pain response is a warning signal that something inside of the bowel is going wrongusually obstruction from contents getting hung up in transit from the stomach to the rectum. Constipation and the pain that comes with it is one such warning signal. Also, infections can cause the bowel motion to slow down, causing obstruction as things pile up andthendistention andthenpain. When endometriosis causes bowel to stick together, there is no longer an unrestricted path of movement of contents twists and turns cause hang-ups that cause distension when the smoothness of the transit is impaired.
    • Bladder. An inflammatory process in the bladder wall or via other things sticking to it will naturally be irritated with the normal goings-on of the bladder .
    • Ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes. These organs have their own unique functions involving releasing an egg for fertilization, moving it down the tube, or implanting a fertilized egg for pregnancy. The inflammation from the immunological effects of endo can mess with the biochemistry of this exquisite process, causing infertility and the kinking of the tubes from other things adhesing to them can cause mechanical blockage even to the point of a tubal pregnancy if a fertilized egg gets stuck in your tube.

    What Does Endo Belly Look Like

    Endometriosis is an individualized condition, so each person’s experience is going to be different, both symptom-wise and in severity.

    “For some women, endo belly looks like a pregnancy in the third trimester,” says Ross. “Others may look like they are in the second trimester of pregnancy. Every woman has a different presentation and belly protrusion.”

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    The Bowel Sits Near Many Organs Commonly Affected By Endometriosis

    The most common cause that we see is local invasion from other areas, such as the ligaments that support the uterus , pelvic side walls, and rectovaginal or posterior cul-de-sac. The anterior cul-de-sac may also be affected by endometriosis, says Jeff Arrington, MD, a surgeon specializing endometriosis and pelvic pain gynepathologies at the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta. The bowel lies next to many of those areas commonly involved. When endometriosis tissue starts touching the bowel, it can start to grow into it.

    Endometriosis Do You Also Have Upper Abdominal Pain

    Can Endometriosis cause infertility?
    joann51897

    I have had abdominal pain for 2 months now both upper and lower. I have had every test possible even with my gi doc. I have had ct with contrast ct without upper gi endoscopy, MRI with contrast bloodwork all comes back normal. I finally go to my gyno because the one thing that did show up was cysts and fibroids but he said we would just keep an eye on them. He did tell me I was diagnosed with adenomyosis 5 years ago when he did my ablasion for some reason I don’t remember him telling me that. Anyway what I was wondering is did anyone on here with endometriosis have upper abdominal pain also?? I’m worried because mine is also upper that it could b something else so I’m scared but it is the same kind of pain. Can someone please help me out?? Thank you!

    1 like, 22 replies

  • Posted 3 years ago

    Hi sitar. They did test for UTI I think they did every test possible. I’m not saying it is in the lung it could just be endometriosis sometimes maybe people just get pain in different places I get it both lower and sometimes upper so idk. Like I said I’ve already been diagnosed with adenomyosis. I’m basically just wondering if anyone else with endometriosis on here has experienced upper abdominal pain also. It’s just so frustrating not that I want there to b something wrong but I just want my life back n not have 2 live like this anymore! ï¢

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    Why Do Women Have To Go To The Bathroom With Endometriosis

    Endo women spend a lot of time in the bathroom and its not to achieve the perfect beach waves. Because endometriosis can spread to all of the other organs in the abdomen, the bowel, the bladder, the lining of the abdomen, a woman can begin to experience pain with bowel movements and pain with urinating, Dr. Kelly-Jones says.

    The Emotional Trauma Of Endometriosis

    A frequently overlooked aspect of pain. The emotional toil of managing with endometriosis causes both chronic pain and chronic fatigue in combination.

    Living with endometriosis means coping with the following emotional problems:

    The pain isnt insurmountable and endometriosis doesnt mean giving up on life, or the things you enjoy doing. The first step to feeling better is talking about the pain it causes, not just the outward symptoms, but how endometriosis feels for you.

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    Why Might A Person With Endometriosis Suffer With Bladder Or Bowel Problems

    The cells that normally form in the womb can form outside the bladder or bowel or burrow deeper within the walls of the bladder or bowel. These cells will react in the same way as they would in the womb leading to blood becoming trapped in these organs. It is the trapped blood that causes the pain as it becomes inflamed. It is more common for the bowel to be affected than the bladder. The pain experienced can make it difficult to urinate or have a bowel movement. If your bladder is affected then you may experience an overactive bladder, where you have feelings of urgency or frequency as well as pain. If your bowel is affected you may experience episodes of diarrhoea and/ or constipation plus uncomfortable bloating.

    The NHS have created the following video about Endometriosis.

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