Pain, bleeding, headaches. Endometriosis can be defined as a’chronic benign inflammation of the female genital organs, caused by the abnormal presence, in these organs, of endometrial cells which, under normal conditions, are found only inside the uterus. An often asymptomatic but very frequent pathology: it affects 10-20% of women of childbearing age. In Italy, where there are about 3 million women with this disease of varying severity (there are four stages: from moderate to severe), the diagnosis in 30-40% of cases is “accidental”, that is, it emerges during routine gynecological check-ups or specialist check-ups performed for example in the case of infertility. It generally manifests itself with pelvic pain, especially in the peri-menstrual phase, painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).
Explains Donatella Caserta, full professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology: “Too many women remain undiagnosed for many years, with a worsening of the quality of life, the progression of the disease that can lead to the growth of cysts and to problems with fertility”. endometriosis? Pain. “Women who begin to experience intense pain symptoms in the days of the menstrual cycle or during sexual intercourse, should report it to the specialist. If the disease progresses without being treated properly, adhesions form in the ovaries and tubes. Precisely for this reason many women discover the disease when they are looking for a child, late conception and the tests bring to light outbreaks of the endometrium that alter the anatomy of the genital system “.
Timely diagnosis and pharmacological or surgical intervention make it possible to act on the pathology in the initial stages: this is why it is important to continue to promote knowledge of the disease and its alarm bells on a large scale.
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