Adenomyosis Symptoms

Adenomyosis is a medical condition that affects women, especially, those who belong to the age group of thirty to fifty. This condition affects the uterus and is usually harmless in nature. While women of childbearing age and who have had children are found to be affected by this condition, it is rare in women, who have never had a full term pregnancy. It has also been observed that the disease disappears after menopause in some of the affected women.

What is Adenomyosis?

In order to understand this medical condition, called adenomyosis, you must know about the structure of the uterus. The uterine wall consists of two layers - the inner endometrium and the outer myometrium. The inner layer called endometrium is responsible for the menstrual flow, which is the shedding of its superficial layers. These layers are later regenerated by the deeper layers of the endometrium and this process continues as menstrual cycle, till menopause. The outer layer of the uterine wall, called myometrium is a relatively thick muscle wall. The muscular activity of this layer is very important for expelling the baby during childbirth and also for expelling blood clots during menstruation.

In normal women, these two tissues or layers of the uterine wall do not mix up. But, in case of adenomyosis, the tissue that lines the inner layers of the uterus or the endometrium, grows into the outer muscular wall (myometrium). In short, adenomyosis is a condition characterized by the presence of endometrial cells in the myometrium. These endometrial cells in the myometrium bleed during menstruation and the blood gets accumulated causing inflammation of the surrounding muscle walls. Such swollen area is called adenomyoma, which is often confused with uterine fibroids.

Adenomyosis can be either focal or in a diffused state. In case of focal adenomyosis, certain areas of the uterine wall get inflamed, but if it is diffused, the whole uterine wall can get affected and the organ gets very heavy and bulky. This condition is often confused with endometriosis. Endometrial cells grow outside the uterus and is usually found in fallopian tubes, ovaries or the tissue lining the pelvis.

As adenomyosis occurs inside the uterus itself, this condition is otherwise called internal endometriosis. It is also found that women affected by endometriosis often have adenomyosis too. The causes for this condition is still unknown, but it said that childbirth, cesarean sections, tubal ligations and pregnancy terminations may cause adenomyosis. In short, any injury to the uterus, which results in breaking the barrier between the endometrium and the myometrium may cause this condition. It is also contended that variations in the levels of estrogen is responsible for adenomyosis.

Symptoms of Adenomyosis

Mild forms of adenomyosis are often asymptomatic or may cause minor discomfort. But, severe forms may lead to heavy menstrual bleeding (with more blood clots) along with sharp pelvic pain and cramping. Symptoms of adenomyosis, like, pain and cramps may extend throughout the periods and may worsen with age. As the blood gets trapped within the muscles, there are chances that it escapes through the cervix and this causes prolonged spotting or bleeding between periods. The affected women may also experience adenomyosis symptoms like, pain during intercourse. In some cases, the uterus of the affected women may get enlarged and the lower abdomen becomes bigger and tender. The enlarged uterus adenomyosis can be similar to that of a six to ten months of pregnancy.

Adenomyosis is a condition, which usually resolves with menopause. The treatment for this condition varies with the severity of the condition. It ranges from anti-inflammatory drugs, hormone therapy, hysterectomy, etc. If you are having severe adenomyosis symptoms and menopause is years away, then hysterectomy is the only cure. So, the treatment is based on the uterine adenomyosis symptoms, the severity of the condition, age, etc. However, adenomyosis is a benign condition, which resolves itself with menopause. In most cases, this condition is considered as harmless and not life-threatening.