You’d think that when a health condition affects 10% of reproductive-aged women around the world, all the facts would be in order. Unfortunately, when it comes to endometriosis, there’s still a good deal of misinformation floating around about this common gynecologic condition, and we aim to set the record straight.
As our name suggests — Advanced Endometriosis Center — our team, with Dr. Ulas Bozdogan leading the way, has researched everything there is to know about endometriosis (to date). As our knowledge advances, we find that we still have to fight some old myths along the way, so we thought we’d cover some of the more common ones here.
Simply put, endometriosis is a condition in which your endometrial tissues and cells, typically found lining your uterus, grow in other places instead.
Often, these endometrial tissues grow on neighboring organs, such as your ovaries and/or fallopian tubes, or on the outside of your uterus. That said, these tissues can grow elsewhere in your body and even in your chest cavity, though this isn’t common.
These endometrial tissues still react to your menstrual cycles, except they have nowhere to shed. As a result, they can form adhesions inside your pelvis that lead to issues of comfort and function.
Our brief explanation above is designed to illustrate that endometriosis doesn’t follow a strict pattern — quite the opposite. The reality is that endometriosis can affect women very differently, depending on where the tissues grow and the extent of the growth.
This spells bad news for easy diagnosis — the average time between the onset of symptoms and the right diagnosis is 4-11 years. This delayed diagnosis is one of the reasons we specialize in endometriosis. We have the experience to connect the dots far more quickly.
About 1 in 10 women experience heavy bleeding, which is also the same statistic for endometriosis. We acknowledge that there’s considerable crossover between heavy bleeding and endometriosis, but abnormal periods are just one aspect of the condition. Not to mention, heavy periods can stem from other gynecologic issues.
So, just because you experience heavy bleeding doesn't automatically mean you have endometriosis. And, going in the other direction, some women with endometriosis have normal periods.
This is one myth we wish were true. There’s no known cure for endometriosis, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of management options.
While up to half of women with endometriosis may run into problems getting pregnant, it certainly doesn't prevent you from having children.
First, it depends on where the endometrial tissues are growing. If they’re blocking your fallopian tubes, for example, this can prevent pregnancy. Even if this is the case, we can remove those tissues to reestablish your fertility.
So, while endometriosis can make family building more challenging, it certainly doesn't prevent you from having children.
While endometrial tissues stop growing after menopause, this hormonal transition won’t necessarily help with existing tissues. So, some women pass through menopause and still experience symptoms.
These myths certainly aren’t the only ones we’ve heard over the years, but they’re some of the more common. The best way to really get a handle on endometriosis is to sit down with one of our experts so you can get some real guidance moving forward.
To set that in motion, all you have to do is click here to schedule an appointment at one of our conveniently located offices in New York City or Paramus, New Jersey.
