What is Endo?

Endometriosis is a condition in which the inner lining of the uterus begins to grow outside of the uterus. "Outside of the uterus" could be any of the following: up the fallopian tubes, on the outside of the fallopian tubes, on the outside of the uterus, on the ovaries, through the ovaries, anywhere in the abdomen such as the bowel, colon, bladder, intestine, diaphragm, lungs (coughing up blood clots), other internal organs, and has been found to have spread as far as the brain in some cases.

Endometriosis is often confused with Endometritis which is an inflammation of the uterus lining. Yet, if a woman has endometriosis she most likely already has endometritis.

There is no agreed upon cause of endometriosis. We do know that there are several factors that may have to do with cause but it is not sure what came first (the chicken or the egg).

Some of the possible causes are (or at least things that also aggravate this condition):

• poor liver health (a liver that is under stress, damaged, or heavily burdened). The liver is responsible for sorting out hormones and toxins. There is a connection with poor liver function/health among women with endometriosis. Many believe now that if we heal the liver we can heal endometriosis.
• toxins. Toxins may be the cause or may just be a contributor. Some studies have lead scientist to believe that pesticides are the cause of endometriosis. Or maybe pesticides just hurt the liver and the liver is the root cause. What came first? the chicken or the egg? Pesticides also contribute to estrogen dominance. 
• estrogen dominance. Our environment (in America) is full of phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens. Our food supply is contaminated with it, our over use of soy and soybeans, even the parabens in our body care products. Estrogen feeds endometriosis. Being hormone imbalanced in this way is one of the symptoms of endometriosis but could also be one of the causes.
• immune system. The immune system also plays a role. Women with endometriosis tend to have weak immune systems. Their lymph nodes are weak and overloaded. They can't flush out all the toxins. Endometriosis is often categorized as an auto-immune disease for this reason. 
• thyroid dysfunction. Again, maybe a cause or a symptom.
• inflammation. Endometriosis is considered an inflammatory disease (although most diseases are). Inflammation is not usually considered one of the causes but does play a major role in endometriosis. 
• mineral deficiency. There have been links between low selenium and endometriosis. More research is being done about mineral deficiencies and the links between diseases. This may be a cause but it could also be a weakness which leads to endo when other factors are present.
• cells laid down in the wrong place. some doctors believe that the uterus cells are laid down outside of the uterus during the time a girl is conceived. This would fall under the "cause" category but little is still known about this theory.

FACTS ABOUT ENDO:

1. A girl has a 6 times greater chance of having endometriosis if her mother has it.
2. Endometriosis in some cases begins even before menstruation in some girls.
3. Scare tissue, inflammation, and internal bleeding are major causes of pain associated with endometriosis.
4. Some women after having a hysterectomy have no symptoms of endometriosis return. No one knows why. This would be a small percentage of women with endo.
5. The endometrial cysts that grow from endo are called "chocolate cysts" and can grow huge in size.
6. Endo can continue past menopause although in many women the decrease in estrogen makes most of their symptoms subside.
7. Endo clears up during pregnancy (it is thought that the reason is due to the high levels of progesterone during pregnancy).
8. Whether or not endometriosis can be completely cured is still up for debate even by those pursuing natural cures.
9. Endometriosis has a lot of symptoms and conditions associated with it.
10. Endo causes scar tissue webbing which binds your internal parts and organs together.
11. Endo can grow anywhere in the body, including into your lungs (usually detectible by coughing up blood clots), into your vaginal canal (causing a period even after hysterectomy), and as far as your brain.

THE STAGES OF ENDOMETRIOSIS (taken from HappyHealthyEndo.com)

American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and it categorizes Endometriosis into four stages. Classifications are based on:

• The amount
• The location
• The severity
• Presence and severity of adhesions

Surgeons further classify Endometriosis as superficial or deep:

• Superficial endometriosis lies more on the surface
• Deep endometriosis implants are deeper than 5 to 6 millimeters

The four stages of endometriosis have the following general descriptions:

• Stage I: Minimal – Superficial lesions and isolated incidents of endometrial tissue growth outside the uterus. Possibly a few adhesions.
• Stage II: Mild - All the above and some deep lesions. Several small implants and a few small areas of scar tissue or adhesions.
• Stage III: Moderate - All the above, plus presence of endometriomas on the ovary and more adhesions. Superficial and deep implants. Several prominent areas of scar tissue or adhesions.
• Stage IV: Severe - All the above, plus large endometriomas and extensive adhesions. Many superficial and deep implants as well as large adhesions. Common symptoms includes infertility.