Adenomyosis: Symptoms, causes and treatment methods

Adenomyosis is a condition where endometrium-like tissue starts growing in the muscle layer of the uterus and causes uterine enlargement. The prevalence ranges from 8 – to 27% in the reproductive age group, says Dr. Vimee Bindra, Fertility Enhancing Surgery Specialist.

There are more than 355 million menstruating women in India and among them, more than 60 percent may need medical assistance for their gynae-related problems. Adenomyosis is one such disease. Patients with adenomyosis who are pregnant have a greater risk of miscarriage, but early detection can help. Adenomyosis can affect a patient's ability to get pregnant, in addition to causing symptoms that interrupt everyday life. Women with adenomyosis may be infertile, and those who have adenomyosis and are pregnant may have a higher risk of miscarriage.

The cause of adenomyosis is not well known. It may or may not be associated with endometriosis. For the first time in South India, effective treatment for Adenomyosis is introduced by Dr. Vimee Bindra

Symptoms

● Painful periods

● Heavy bleeding

● Bloating

● Infertility

● Chronic pelvic pain

The pelvic pain can be so severe that patients describe it as a knife-like pain. As it's a progressive disease, symptoms keep on increasing with the passing years.

Causes

The exact cause of adenomyosis is not known but several theories try to explain its origin. Developmental origins, invasive tissue growth, uterine inflammation during childbirth, and stem cell origins.

Complications

Prolonged and heavy bleeding might lead to chronic anemia and in turn, may cause fatigue and tiredness, and lethargy. Chronic pelvic pain and severe pain during periods may hamper your quality of life

Lifestyle and home remedies

To ease pelvic pain and cramping related to adenomyosis you can try-

● Hot water bag

● Over the counter anti-inflammatory agents

● Warm bath

For some patients, pelvic exercises and physiotherapy help to some extent.

Treatment options

Medical therapy such as NSAIDS, hematinics, Hormonal medications such as oral contraceptives, progesterone-based medications, and Mirena IUS are available but they provide only symptomatic relief without reducing the diseased tissue and may be ineffective in the long run and frequent relapse of symptoms is seen.

Hysterectomy is the definitive option for symptom relief but this is not a suitable option for younger women desiring to preserve the uterus and fertility.

Non-invasive options

Some latest non-invasive treatment options which have emerged are uterine artery embolization (UAE), image-guided ablation techniques, including high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU), and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA).

Dr. Vimee Bindra is the first one to introduce this technique in South India. It's a uterine preserving minimally invasive technique for adenomyosis.