In this article, we will consider the symptoms, signs, treatment of adenomyosis of the uterus. What it is? Is this disease dangerous? Let's figure it out.
Adenomyosis or endometriosis is a disease of the uterus. During the course of this disease, the endometrium, which acts as an internal mucosa, begins to grow into various layers of the uterus. By its nature, adenomyosis, the symptoms of which we will consider in this article, is considered a benign disease.
General description of pathology
The new position occupied by endometrial cells against the background of adenomyosis is localized in the region of the external, and, in addition, the internal genital organs. This can occur within the uterus, its tubes, or the ovaries. In addition, the process may affect other tissues and organs, for example, the urinary system, the navel, and so on.
Against the background of genital adenomyosis, endometrial cells are concentrated in the vagina. This form of the disease can be external, then doctors talk about endometriosis of the ovaries and vagina, or internal. The internal shape suggests uterine endometriosis.
Endometrial cells that are outside the uterus can continue to function according to the usual monthly cycle, which, in turn, provokes the appearance of inflammatory processes of a local scale, after which changes occur that seriously disrupt the activity of the organ inhabited by them.
The literal translation of the medical term "adenomyosis" refers to glandular degeneration that occurs in muscle tissue. The influence of the endometrial glands on the myometrium leads to the formation of a pathological change in the muscular layer of the uterus, which contributes to the degeneration of this organ.
Symptoms of adenomyosis are of interest to many.
Shapes
Pathology is divided into diffuse, nodular and mixed forms.
- Morphological features of diffuse adenomyosis are the formation of blind pockets in the endometrium, penetrating to different depths of the uterine layers from its cavity. It often happens that this form of the disease leads to the formation of fistulas in the pelvic cavity.
- The form of nodular adenomyosis is characterized by getting into the muscular uterine layers of the epithelium while simultaneously forming nodes with different sizes. As a rule, they are multiple according to the type of their formation and are filled with blood or brown liquid is present in them. It, in turn, is formed due to the activity of the endometrial glands according to the normal cycle of menstruation.
- Mixed form is a combination of both of the above.
Symptoms andtreatment for adenomyosis will be discussed next.
Degrees of its severity
The severity of the pathology, as a rule, corresponds to one of the four degrees offered by the international classification. Each of these degrees corresponds to the depth of penetration of endometrial cells into the underlying structures of the uterus. It should also be noted that the classification below applies only to the diffuse form of the pathology in question.
- The first degree is determined by the proliferation of endometrial cells, which occurs in the area of the mucous layer of the uterus.
- The second degree is marked by the penetration of pathology, the process of which is concentrated in the muscular uterine layer, while no more than half of its part is captured.
- Against the background of the third degree, the muscle layer is involved in the pathological process by more than half.
- The fourth degree is characterized by the growth of cells outside the muscle layer. The cells are concentrated in the serous uterine membrane. Further, this leads to the transition of cells to the peritoneum, and, in addition, to the involvement of organs that are located in the pelvic area, in the pathological process.
Adenomyosis symptoms are reported to be quite unpleasant.
What is the danger of the disease?
As noted, adenomyosis is a benign pathological growth that occurs in tissues. The main reason for compliance with this definition is the preservation of the genetic structures of endometrial cells against the background of its migration to other tissues and organs. But meanwhile,the ability of cells to germinate in these tissues, along with its function of subsequent settlement throughout the body with resistance to external influences, equates this pathological process with malignant formations. Feedback on the symptoms and treatment of adenomyosis is provided at the end of the article.
Determination of the benign nature of the disease makes it possible to indicate its prognosis. Such a pathology can continue for many years or decades, while the process does not cause the depletion of the female body or its death. In parallel with this, similarly to the malignant course of hyperplasia, adenomyosis with great difficulty lends itself to conservative treatment carried out in its address. If we talk about operational measures of intervention in order to eliminate this pathology, then the elimination of the disease is much more voluminous compared to methods focused on benign education. The reason lies in the difficulty of defining boundaries that indicate diseased and he althy tissue. Determining the symptoms and treating adenomyosis after age 40 presents a challenge.
Complication
Often the main complication is the peculiarity that the endometrial cells, functioning in accordance with the monthly cycle, are the main cause of heavy bleeding. This factor, in turn, can cause an acute form of anemia. In some cases, there may be a need for urgent hospitalization, and, in addition, surgery due to the causes of seriouslife-threatening due to possible bleeding for patients.
What are other symptoms and signs of uterine adenomyosis?
The pathology under consideration is also characterized by a tendency to spread the disease process to other tissues of the body, which, in turn, can lead to certain systemic lesions. The extragenital position of the endometrial cells can cause a whole range of various complications, against which medical intervention becomes mandatory. Such complications most often include intestinal obstruction, provoked by endometriosis of the digestive system, and, in addition, hemothorax - a pathology that is characterized by filling the pleural region with blood, which is caused by lung damage.
To the dangerous consequences of such a disease as adenomyosis, one should also add the actual threat of the formation of malignant transformations of cells that have been subjected to relocation occurring at the genetic level.
Adenomyosis and its causes
The causes that provoke the occurrence of adenomyosis, along with the mechanisms that affect its development, have not yet been fully determined to date. The only thing that can be noted with certainty is that the disease is hormonally dependent. Thus, most likely, its development is carried out under the influence of violations of the immune system. Among the main risk factors for the development of the considered pathology, the following are distinguished:
- Hereditarypredisposition to adenomyosis. This includes the predisposition of the body to the appearance of benign or malignant neoplasms, which are concentrated in the area of the female genital area.
- Late or early onset of the menstrual cycle.
- Being overweight.
- Starting sex too late.
- Delayed delivery or with complications.
- Those or other manipulations on the uterus, for example, abortion, diagnostic curettage, and so on.
- Use of uterine spirals in order to prevent unwanted pregnancy along with oral contraceptives.
- Pathologies of an inflammatory scale in the region of the uterus and appendages, along with bleeding of a dysfunctional nature, especially against the background of surgery or long-term hormonal treatment.
- Frequent infectious diseases along with allergic reactions indicating functional immune disorders.
- Low social status.
- Engaged in strenuous physical activity.
- Sedentary lifestyle along with stress.
- Extragenital pathologies, for example, diseases of the digestive system, hypertension, and so on.
- Live in a bad environment.
Adenomyosis symptoms
The main symptom characteristic of this disease is the abundance or excessive duration of menstrual bleeding. This factor, in turn, provokes the development of secondary iron deficiency anemia.
When anemia develops due to this cause, the following symptoms are felt:
- Presence of drowsiness and weakness.
- Paleness of the skin and mucous membranes.
- The body's susceptibility to various infectious diseases.
- In severe cases, there is shortness of breath that occurs even with little physical exertion.
- Presence of dizziness.
- Significant drop in work capacity.
- Loss of the ability to adequately assess the current state.
A typical symptom for the development of adenomyosis is the presence of discharge that occurs a few days before the start of the menstrual cycle, and, in addition, some time after it ends. Common forms of pathology can lead to the development of metrorrhagia - uterine bleeding that occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle.
Another symptom typical of the described disease is pain, which appears before menstruation and lasts for several days. This syndrome disappears after a few days from the start of menstruation.
The severity of pain sensations, and, in addition, their nature, are determined directly by the localization of the pathological process. The most severe pain syndrome is observed when the area of the isthmus of the uterus is affected. It is no less pronounced if the disease is associated with the development of the process of formation of adhesions.
It often happens that the symptoms of adenomyosis appear during the formation of the disease in the formaccessory uterine horn. Such a lesion may be characterized by the phenomena of an acute abdomen, the cause of which will be the throwing of menstrual blood into the region of the pelvic cavity, which is typical for the symptoms of peritonitis.
Irradiation of pain often makes it possible to determine the localization of the concentration of pathological processes. For example, damage to the angle of the uterus causes pain that radiates to the inguinal region on the corresponding side. The presence of an isthmus lesion will radiate to the rectum or to the vaginal area.
Another symptom of uterine adenomyosis typical of the pathology under consideration is the appearance of a feeling of soreness that occurs during intercourse, which is especially true immediately before menstruation itself and will most often indicate damage to the isthmus of the uterus.
It is also important to note that the severity of the symptoms of this pathology directly depends on the level of prevalence of its inherent course. For example, in the presence of a diffuse form of adenomyosis, which corresponds to the first degree, its detection may occur randomly, which will be explained by the asymptomatic course of the pathology. As for the second and third degrees of diffuse and nodular adenomyosis, in these cases, the severity of symptoms can rarely coincide with a specific level of distribution of the entire process, and, in addition, with the size of the nodes.
So we talked about the symptoms. Treatment for adenomyosis will be discussed next.
Treatment
To treat this disease, two methods are used: therapy or surgery. Therapy involves the use of medications that are focused on normalizing the functional features of the hormonal system and immunity. Surgical treatment, in turn, is based on the restoration of the normal anatomical features characteristic of the genital internal organs. In addition, surgery involves the removal of the maximum number of foci in the area of their localization. Diagnosis of the disease is carried out by a gynecologist, who should be contacted if any of the above symptoms appear.
If conservative treatment fails, signs and symptoms of adenomyosis should be treated with surgery. Operations can be radical, for example, in such cases, panhysterectomy is performed along with hysterectomy, supravaginal amputation of the uterus, and so on. Or organ-preserving operations can be performed, for example, endocoagulation of endometriosis foci.
Indications for endocoagulation is the presence of endometrial hyperplasia, suppuration or adhesions that prevent the egg from entering the uterus. Another indication in this case is the absence of any effect after treatment with hormonal drugs for three months, along with contraindications to hormonal therapy.
As part of the indications for hysterectomy, consider the progression of adenomyosis among patients who are over forty years of age, along with ineffectivenessconservative treatment and organ-preserving surgical interventions, a diffuse or nodular form of pathology in combination with myoma, and, in addition, the threat of malignancy.
In the event that adenomyosis is detected in a woman who is planning a pregnancy, she will be advised to attempt conception no earlier than six months after a course of conservative treatment or endocoagulation. During the first trimester, patients are prescribed gestagens. The question of the advisability of hormonal treatment in the second or third trimester with symptoms of adenomyosis in women is decided taking into account the result of blood tests for the content of progesterone in it. Pregnancy is a physiological menopause, which is accompanied by serious changes in the hormonal background and has a positive effect on the course of the disease, which reduces the rate of growth and spread of endometrial heterotopic cells.
Adenomyosis is a chronic disease with a high chance of recurrence. After conservative treatment, and, in addition, organ-preserving surgical interventions during the first year, relapses of this disease can be detected in every fifth woman of reproductive age. Within five years, the process of recurrence is observed in more than seventy percent of patients.
In women of premenopausal age, the prognosis for the development of adenomyosis is more favorable, due to a gradual decrease in the functioning of the ovaries. After panhysterectomyrecurrence is not possible. As part of the menopause, the female body begins to recover on its own.
We continue to consider the symptoms of uterine adenomyosis and treatment with folk remedies.
Traditional medicine
In the treatment of many gynecological pathologies, traditional medicine can become indispensable. They are often used as an addition to the main course of treatment, it is important to consult a gynecologist before this.
The first place in popularity is given to medicinal plants. Consider a few recipes:
- For douching use a collection of bergenia root, cudweed, bedstraw, nettle, mistletoe, oak bark, celandine, yarrow, peony, marigold and eucalyptus. Take equal parts of plants. 3 art. l. spoons are poured into 1 liter of boiling water, infused, filtered and used for douching.
- Plantain, tansy, birch and poplar buds, juniper fruits are taken in equal proportions. Everything is poured with boiling water, infused for 2 hours. Next, the infusion should be filtered and taken in a sip after meals (three times a day).
- Upland uterus is often used in the treatment of female ailments. 2 tbsp. l. herbs are poured with a liter of boiling water, infused for an hour. Strained infusion is taken half a cup before meals three times a day. The course continues for at least 5-6 weeks.
Hirudotherapy is an effective way to treat adenomyosis. It is based on the use of medicinal leeches. Active substances contained in the saliva of leeches,have a strong anti-inflammatory effect when released into the bloodstream.
This will help normalize hormonal levels, eliminate venous congestion, increase blood supply to organs in the pelvis. You can entrust such treatment only to a doctor who has the appropriate certificate. If leeches are placed incorrectly, heavy bleeding may begin.
Feedback on the symptoms of uterine adenomyosis and treatment will be discussed further.
Reviews
Reviews about this pathology are contradictory. People write that after the diagnosis is made, treatment is prescribed, which often does not help. Then scraping is carried out, which also does not work. Then doctors advise getting pregnant in order to stop the pathological process. But what to do when the child is not included in the plans? Also, the onset of pregnancy with such a pathology can be problematic. Reviews confirm that the main symptom of the disease is heavy painful menstruation. Most often, hormonal drugs ("Utrozhestan") are prescribed as therapy. It is necessary to equalize the hormonal background, avoid stress.
We looked at the symptoms, signs, treatment, causes of uterine adenomyosis.
