HWN Suggests

Adenomyosis: The Reproductive Disease Women Don't Know They Have

My phone finally rang. It was the call I had been anxiously waiting for: the results of the transvaginal ultrasound I had undergone a few days earlier. “So, hmph, how can I say this?” My primary care doctor sighed and took a pregnant pause. My stomach dropped. This is it, I thought. I am dying. I have cancer.

Initially, I went to see my doctor a few weeks after first experiencing a sharp but fleeting pain in my lower abdomen that later turned into a dull and persistent ache. I ignored it at first—it was probably nothing. Maybe it’s gas or stress. Maybe it’s my birth control being weird. But as the days went on, I started to worry that maybe there was something seriously wrong.

My…

read full article

Featured

 Adenomyosis causes pain, heavy periods and infertility but you’ve probably never heard of it

Disruption in the endometrial-myometrial junction is now considered an important contributor to reproductive problems such as recurrent implantation failure, a condition that can prevent women falling pregnant. Adenomyosis can either be quite spread out, known as generalised adenomyosis or localised in one place, also known as an adenomyoma.

 Introducing Adenomyosis

April is Adenomyosis Awareness Month, and it’s time adenomyosis gets the recognition it deserves. Many of those effected with endometriosis also have adenomyosis, and it may be a source of ongoing pain after excision of endometriosis. Adenomyosis enjoys even less name recognition than endometriosis, and while endo awareness is starting to become a national conversation, adenomyosis is still often met with confused expressions and a lack of knowledge.

Articles of Interest

Adenomyosis Fighter: One Woman’s Journey Through Adenomyosis

Maria Yeager started the online support group Adenomyosis Fighters after struggling with severe symptoms from adenomyosis for 17 years. After countless doctor appointments, dismissed symptoms and debilitating pain, she knew she didn’t want any other women to go through the same difficult journey without support.

Adenomyosis: The Common Gynecological Condition You’ve Never Heard Of

Women with adenomyosis need more and better treatment options to manage their disease. To accomplish this, we need to invest in research — both basic and clinical — to better understand adenomyosis, as well as the other gynecological conditions that frequently accompany it.

Pathology and Pathogenesis of Adenomyosis

Adenomyosis represents a unique pathophysiological condition in which normal-appearing endometrial mucosa resides within myometrium and is thus protected from menstrual shedding. The resulting ectopic presence of endometrial tissue composed of glands and stroma is thought to affect normal contractile function and peristalsis of uterine smooth muscle, causing menometrorrhagia, infertility, and adverse obstetric outcomes.

Recent advances in understanding and managing adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is a benign uterine disorder in which endometrial glands and stroma are pathologically demonstrated in the myometrium. Women affected by adenomyosis may present with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, or infertility but one third of them are asymptomatic

Resources

Adenomyosis Advice Association

Founded in the UK in 2011 - the Adenomyosis Advice Association helps women worldwide on their adenomyosis journey visit: I hope the information that I have put together here will help others who have recently learned that they have, or have yet to be diagnosed with this condition. Families, employers and even GP's may not yet be aware of adenomyosis.

Adenomyosis Fighters

This website is dedicated to the support of women who are currently dealing with the uterine disorder adenomyosis. This neglected disorder causes severe abdominal pain, very heavy menstrual bleeding, prolonged menstrual bleeding (sometimes 8-14 days or even longer), bloating (some patients can appear to be 9 months pregnant), and many other symptoms...

Natural Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Treatment

Heather Jacobsen, a former researcher and writer for the National Academy of Sciences, is a women’s health advocate and adenomyosis conqueror.

Fibroid Treatment Collaborative

Adenomyosis isn’t the same as endometriosis – a condition in which the uterine lining becomes implanted outside the uterus – although women with adenomyosis often also have endometriosis.