Endometriosis is one of the important diseases of the reproductive age and actually one of the most common disorders in women in the reproductive period. Is endometriosis a condition that prevents women from getting pregnant and having children? Is it a health problem that can be treated? Does it involve cancer risk? Is surgery necessary? Associated Gynecological Oncology Specialist Assoc. Dr. İlker Kahramanoğlu gave important information.
Why Do We Call It "Chocolate Cyst"?
Gynecological Oncology Specialist Assoc. Dr. İlker Kahramanoğlu said, “Endometriosis is one of the most important and common diseases of the reproductive age. We call the tissue lining the inside of the uterus as the endometrium. If the tissue similar to the endometrium is located in the ovaries for certain reasons, in the region between the intestine and the uterus, that is, in any region outside the uterus, in the abdomen, it is called “endometriosis”. is called . The reason why they are called chocolate cysts is; This is due to the fact that the contents of these cysts are in the consistency of hot chocolate and in the color of chocolate.”
How does endometriosis manifest itself?
Assoc. Dr. İlker Kahramanoğlu, “Chocolate Cyst, that is, Endometriosis, may not develop any symptoms or complaints in some patients. However, depending on the region and tissue it is located, it may cause some symptoms of varying severity. As endometriosis grows in the abdomen, it may cause inflammation and various complaints. If you ask what these are; Premenstrual and menstrual pain in the lower abdomen, pain during sexual intercourse, chronic pelvic pain can be counted. In addition, because endometriosis can develop adhesions and fibrosis in the region, infertility in some women, which is known as "infertility" among the people. may cause the situation,” he said.
If Your Mother, Sister Or Aunt Has Received This Diagnosis…
Although we cannot say for sure why endometriosis develops, there are several accepted theories about it. In addition, molecular studies have shown that different genetic changes have an effect on the occurrence of this disease. This means that; If your relatives, such as your mother, aunt, sister, have been diagnosed with endometriosis, you are one step closer to endometriosis than people whose relatives have not been diagnosed with endometriosis.
Does Endometriosis Prevent Conceiving?
An average of 10 out of 7 women diagnosed with endometriosis can get pregnant naturally. Apart from that, after a well planned operation by an experienced surgeon, it is possible to get pregnant spontaneously with the natural method. Still, a small portion of women with endometriosis may have to receive infertility treatment. In addition, "in vitro fertilization treatments" planned and performed after endometriosis surgery As a result, the success rate is quite high. Some women have an unrealistic belief and knowledge that getting pregnant eliminates and cures this disease, endometriosis. But this is not true. During pregnancy, the symptoms of endometriosis may alleviate temporarily, but pregnancy does not cure this disease. At the end of pregnancy, complaints may start again.
It is not a simple cyst surgery!
Kahramanoğlu said, “Endometriosis can be treated with painkillers or hormone-containing drugs or surgical operations. If the patient is a suitable candidate for the surgical procedure, the procedure can be performed with the laparoscopic method. Laparoscopy not only increases the comfort for the patient after surgery, but also enables the surgeon to see even millimetric foci. However, what I want to underline here is that this surgery should be performed according to oncological principles. There are important reasons for me to mention this. During the surgical procedure, only removing the cyst does not eliminate the disease. For this reason, it is necessary to take all the tissues where endometriosis is found. It is of great importance not to damage the normal ovarian tissue while removing the cyst in the ovary. It is essential in endometriosis surgery to clean all endometriosis foci in the abdomen and to observe the ovarian reserves.