How to diagnose endometriosis

We can never avoid the occurrence of some diseases, especially for female friends. Gynecological diseases are relatively common diseases. Among them, endometriosis is a disease that causes great harm to the female body. If you want to get better and more timely treatment for endometriosis, it is critical to diagnose the disease. Let us learn about the diagnosis method of endometriosis.

Clinical manifestations

1. Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea is the most typical symptom of endometriosis. It can occur before, during, or after your period. In severe stages, the pain is unbearable and increasing the dosage of analgesics may not even be effective. The pain is caused by internal bleeding from endometriosis stimulating local tissue inflammatory response. Endometriosis lesions secrete more prostaglandins, which causes uterine muscle contractions and makes dysmenorrhea more pronounced. After menstruation, bleeding stops and pain is relieved.

2. Abnormal menstruation

It may present as heavy menstruation or irregular menstrual cycles. Most of the menstrual abnormalities are related to the impact of endometriosis on ovarian function. Patients with endometriosis may experience ovarian dysfunction, such as abnormal ovulation.

3. Infertility

Infertility is common in women with endometriosis. Cause: Endometriosis can often cause adhesions around the fallopian tubes, affecting the pickup of oocytes; or ovarian lesions can affect ovulation.

4. Pain during sexual intercourse

Endometriosis in the rectouterine fossa and vaginal rectal septum may cause dyspareunia (deep tenderness) and frequent, painful bowel movements (tenesmus) during menstruation.

5. Others

Bladder irritation symptoms: When endometriosis spreads to the bladder, there will be periodic frequent urination, painful urination, and hematuria. Endometriosis in abdominal wall scars and umbilicus causes periodic local lumps and pain.

How to diagnose endometriosis

1. Laboratory examination

(1) CA125 (ovarian cancer-associated antigen) value measurement is a tumor-associated antigen with certain diagnostic value for ovarian epithelial cancer. However, in patients with endometriosis, the CA125 value may increase, and the positive rate increases with the increase in the stage of endometriosis. Its sensitivity and specificity are very high, so it is helpful for the diagnosis of endometriosis and can also monitor the efficacy of endometriosis treatment.

(2) Anti-endometrial antibodies (EMAb) Anti-endometrial antibodies are autoantibodies that use the endometrium as a target antigen and induce a series of immunopathological reactions. They are the hallmark antibodies of endometriosis. The detection of serum EMAb is an effective method for the diagnosis and efficacy observation of patients with endometriosis.

2. Imaging examination

(1) Type B ultrasound examination Type B ultrasound examination is one of the commonly used examination methods in obstetrics and gynecology, and plays an important role in the diagnosis of obstetrics and gynecology diseases. Determine the location, size, and shape of cysts and detect masses that were not palpable during gynecological examination.

(2) Laparoscopic examination: Using a laparoscope to directly observe the pelvic cavity, ectopic lesions can be seen or a biopsy of visible lesions can be performed to confirm the diagnosis. The clinical stage of pelvic endometriosis and the treatment plan can be determined based on the results of the microscopic examination. Under laparoscopy, attention should be paid to observing the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterosacral ligaments, pelvic peritoneum and other parts for the presence of endometriosis lesions. Endometriosis is staged and scored based on laparoscopic or surgical findings.

(3) X-ray examination can be performed alone to assist in the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis using pelvic pneumatic angiography and hysterosalpingography.

(4) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) MRI can directly image in multiple planes, providing an intuitive understanding of the extent, origin, and invaded structures of the lesion. It can correctly locate the lesion and enhance the display of soft tissue. Therefore, MRI is of great value in diagnosing endometriosis and understanding pelvic lesions and adhesions.

diagnosis

According to the characteristics of this disease, women of childbearing age who have progressively worsening dysmenorrhea or a history of infertility, and who may have an inactive mass or painful nodules in the pelvis during gynecological examination, can generally be preliminarily diagnosed with pelvic endometriosis. Patients with more complicated conditions can be further diagnosed with the help of the above-mentioned laboratory tests and special examination methods.

Usually, many women suffer from gynecological diseases, but are always embarrassed to go to the hospital for treatment. They always blindly take medicine at home, which sometimes delays the treatment of the disease. This is also an irresponsible behavior towards their own health. After understanding the diagnosis method of endometriosis, when there is a problem with the body, you should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment according to the cause to recover faster.