To my great regret, in the minds of our women, a preventive examination by a gynecologist sounds like something fantastic. This attitude to one's own health is the cause of many problems, which could not be in case the disease was detected on time. A vivid example is adenomyosis , one of the forms of endometriosis. At the initial stage, adenomyosis can develop with complete absence of symptoms. As an option, a woman turns to a doctor because of infertility, which was the consequence of adenomyosis.
Signs of adenomyosis
Adenomyosis is a disease characterized by the germination of the endometrium into the muscular layer of the uterus, while the cells of the mucous membrane that have got into the myometrium retain their genetically inherent function. Accordingly, undergoing cyclic changes, they grow in a certain period and require an outlet that is absent in the muscle tissues. As a consequence, the uterus increases in size, the functionality of the organ is impaired.
If such a disorder only has its beginning, then as already mentioned above, signs of adenomyosis of the uterus may be absent. However, if you carefully listen to the bells of your body, you can see some symptoms of adenomyosis of the uterus:
- the first sign of adenomyosis is disorders of the menstrual cycle, the monthly ones become longer and more abundant;
- also the initial signs of adenomyosis include the appearance of smearing excreta before and after menstruation;
- soreness in intercourse;
- characteristic for adenomyosis is a decrease in the duration of the cycle;
- The indirect sign of adenomyosis is a severe pain before and after menstruation in the pelvic region.
Most accurately, you can determine adenomyosis by the signs that are obtained on ultrasound. With this type of examination, the patient has the following echolineses of adenomyosis:
- the changed form of the uterus, the so-called "round uterus";
- possible thickening of one of the walls;
- increased echogenicity of myometrium;
- the appearance of open cysts before menstruation.
Often to clarify the diagnosis is not only a routine examination and ultrasound, but a number of additional tests and procedures.
Forms of adenomyosis
Depending on the form of the ingrowth of the endometrium into the muscular layer, experts distinguish several types of adenomyosis:
- Focal. In this case, foci of congestion of the endometrium are formed.
- Diffuse. A sign of the diffuse form of adenomyosis is the uniform penetration of cells.
- There is also a nodular form. It is characterized by the appearance of nodes, consisting of their connective tissue and glandular component.
- Mixed diffuse-nodular form of adenomyosis is more often observed.
Treatment of adenomyosis
When there are symptoms of adenomyosis and confirmation of this diagnosis, treatment should be prescribed by a qualified specialist after a complex of examinations. First of all, the treatment of adenomyosis is aimed at eliminating the symptoms and consequences of the disease. There are several directions in eliminating the disease:
- The most common is the use of hormone therapy. Hormonal drugs artificially create menopause by stopping the growth of the endometrium. After discontinuation of hormone intake, its growth may resume, so supportive therapy is practiced, which has a purposeful action in the absence of side effects.
- Good results can be achieved by embolization of the uterine artery .
- Surgical intervention is used in extreme cases with severe symptoms of adenomyosis and a large stage of germination.
To date, the causes of the appearance of adenomyosis are not clearly defined. Disturbances can contribute to poor ecology, lifestyle, stressful situations, heredity, as well as artificial termination of pregnancy and other interventions in the uterine cavity, severe childbirth, etc. Therefore, the main recommendation for women to prevent the disease and its consequences is a regular visit to the gynecologist .