What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that resembles the uterine lining grows on other regions of the body. You may feel uncomfortable symptoms as a result of this tissue growing in the wrong areas, which may have an impact on your everyday life.
What are the common symptoms of endometriosis?
Endometriosis commonly present with painful menstruation, pelvic pain, pain during intercourse, infertility, and pelvic mass.
How to know the severity of endometriosis?
The correlation between the symptoms of endometriosis and the severity of disease is poor. Currently available laboratory markers are of limited value. At present, the best marker, serum CA-125, is usually elevated only in advanced stages and therefore not suitable for routine screening.
Severity of this disease is difficult to determine from its symptoms. Usually symptoms are expressed according to area of involvement not depth of disease.
Who are affected by this disease?
Endometriosis usually starts in the ovary, it also can happen in the abdomen cavity affecting Fallopian tubes, uterus and other pelvic organs like bladder and bowel.
It affects women of reproductive age. Usually starts at around the age of 15 to 20 years and slowly spreads destroying nearby organs. It can subside spontaneously at menopause.
What is the correlation of CA 125 to endometriosis?
Plasma concentrations of CA-125 are increased in women with cystic ovarian and deep disease and plasma concentrations are higher during menses than during the follicular and luteal phases of the cycle.