Endometriosis, the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, is a progressive, estrogen-dependent disease and occurs nearly exclusively in menstruating women of reproductive age. Endometriosis is a painful condition that occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus, often in pelvic and abdominal areas were it is not supposed to grow. Endometriosis is a leading cause of infertility -- up to 40 percent of women with this condition are unable to conceive. Endometriosis is a precursor to ovarian cancer, women with endometriosis are more likely to have ovarian cancer in the future compared with women who do not have endometriosis.

Endometriosis can result in substantial illness, including pelvic pain, multiple operations, and infertility. Approximately only half of women with endometriosis get pain relief from existing medical or surgical treatments. Medical treatments usually are directed at inhibiting estrogen action or its production from the ovaries and do not address local estrogen biosynthesis by the aromatase enzyme in endometriotic lesions. A single gene encodes aromatase, which is the final enzyme in the estrogen biosynthesis pathway, and its inhibition effectively eliminates estrogen production. Some previous studies have indicated that women with endometriosis may not develop strong bones, but a newer report shows that the condition does not increase the long-term risk of suffering a fracture.

Endometriosis symptom and sign
Pain is the major clinical problem of endometriosis, manifested as dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, lower abdominal pain, and dyspareunia.

Endometriosis treatment
The medical treatment of endometriosis is a critical aspect of the therapeutic approach to this disease. The main purpose of the current medical treatment of endometriosis is to create an amenorrheic state, in other words, to create a hypoestrogenic environment by suppressing estrogen secretion of the ovary. Current research has focused upon medications designed to attack specific aspects of the development and maintenance of endometriosis. This includes progesterone receptor modulators, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs, aromatase inhibitors and, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) inhibitors, angiogenesis inhibitors, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors and estrogen receptor beta agonists like inmunomodulators. These drugs show decreased spreading of lesions and reduced disease related symptoms. Medical treatment is moderately effective in reducing pain but ineffective in improving fertility; a combination of medical treatment with assisted reproductive technology may be beneficial in improving fertility.
     Women who undergo laparoscopic resection of bilateral endometriomas will experience ovarian failure after the procedure in 2 to 3 percent of the cases. Laparoscopic resection is considered the first-line treatment for endometriotic ovarian cysts, but recent reports have suggested that it may diminish ovarian reserve. For women with unilateral endometriosis, this would not necessarily be a problem since the intact ovary could compensate. For women with bilateral disease, however, laparoscopic resection could, in theory, cause ovarian failure.

Endometriosis and GnRH hormone - Endometriosis and pregnancy
For women with endometriosis who undergo assisted fertilization procedures, treatment with a hormone that decreases the body's production of testosterone and estrogen a few months before the procedure quadruples the chance of successful pregnancy. Dr. Hassan Sallam, from Alexandria University in Egypt, and colleagues used medical databases and reports from major reproductive medicine meetings to look for studies that used pretreatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists as a way to improve pregnancy rates in endometriosis patients who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Three trials with a total of 165 women were included in the analysis. Women pretreated with a GnRH agonist were 4 times more likely to become pregnant than their untreated peers. Moreover, the results of one of the studies indicated a 9 fold increase in the live birth rate with use of this strategy.

Bladder endometriosis
Women who have endometriosis around the bladder can suffer from the urge to urinate, frequent urination, vulvar pain, urge incontinence, and painful urination. In fact, the symptoms of bladder endometriosis mirror interstitial cystitis.

Endometriosis and menopause
In many cases menopause ends the activity of mild or moderate endometriosis. Even after radical surgery or menopause, however, endometriosis can be reactivated by estrogen replacement therapy.

Endometriosis infertility
Acupuncture endometriosis menstrual pain
Laparoscopy endometriosis
Ovarian cyst and endometriosis

Cause of endometriosis

Endometriosis and Diet
What a woman eats can influence her risk of endometriosis. Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue, which normally lines the uterus, grows elsewhere in the pelvis. New research indicates that women who eat the most green vegetables or fresh fruit have a reduction in risk for endometriosis, while those who eat the most beef or ham have an increased risk.. While endometriosis is relatively common, little is known about its cause. Dr. Fabio Parazzini from the University of Milan, Italy, and colleagues surveyed 504 women with endometriosis, and 504 age-matched "controls" regarding their dietary habits. The risk was significantly reduced among women with the highest intake of green vegetables (a 70-percent risk reduction) or fresh fruit (a 40-percent reduction), the researchers report, and significantly increased among women with the highest intake of beef and other red meat (a doubling of risk) and ham (a 1.8-fold increase).

Endometrial cancer
Animal-derived foods increase the risk of endometrial cancer, while foods from plant sources reduce it.

Endometriosis questions
Q. I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Will chrysin aid in balancing my hormones?
   A. We have not seen any research regarding endometriosis and chrysin.

Q. I have been diagnosed with severe endometriosis can i take acai or goji juice as an endometriosis treatment?.
   A. We have not seen any research regarding the use of goji or acai juice or supplements for endometriosis treatment.