Gynecologic diseases can occur during a woman’s fertile years between puberty and menopause, they can cause infertility. Chronically painful diseases like endometriosis, which may affect 10% of reproductive age women have both a personal and societal cost. Endometriosis was calculated to cost 22 billion US dollars in 2002 due to treatment expense and costs of lost productivity and wages, according to a study by Dr. S. Simoens and colleagues published in volume 13 of the 2007 issue of Human Reproduction Update.
Endometriosis
According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is a disease of the reproductive system caused when cells lining the uterus begin to grow abnormally at sites outside the uterus. The Mayo Clinic reports three possible theories for the causes of endometriosis. First, this misplaced tissue may arise from retained menstrual blood and cells, which may flow backward, into the fallopian tubes. Another theory says that these cells enter the blood system and are carried to other sites in the body. A third theory examines the possibility that some women may have genetic tendency to develop endometriosis.
Endometrial tissue or implants can grow abnormally on the ovaries, in the fallopian tubes and on other tissues and organs in the abdomen. Implants respond to cyclic hormones, causing implants to shed cells and bleed with each menstrual cycle. Blood from the implants irritates the surrounding areas and can cause pain, ranging in severity from mild to debilitating. Irritation and repeated healing can cause internal scarring and formation of adhesions that can cause blockages in the fallopian tubes and scar tissue over the ovaries. Endometriosis is a common cause of infertility.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS is a hormonal disorder, which disrupts the normal function of the ovary. Women with PCOS may have fertility problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Women with PCOS have problems with releasing an egg or ovulating each month and have infrequent or absent periods. Instead of producing one egg-containing follicle on the surface of the ovary, women with PCOS tend to have multiple small cysts forming with no eggs or immature eggs inside. The cause of PCOS is not well understood but it seems to occur because of metabolic disorders putting PCOS patients at higher risk for obesity, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Women with PCOS typically have a higher level of male hormones called androgens, which can cause them to have excess body and facial hair.
Gynecologic Cancers
Gynecologic cancers can occur anywhere in the female reproductive tract including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, uterus, vulva and vagina. If these cancers remain in the reproductive system, cancer treatment can prove relatively simple, by removing the cancerous reproductive organ. Unfortunately, gynecologic cancers can spread or metastasize to other organs in the body, causing life-threatening complications. Cancers can result from both genetic and environmental factors. According to the Merck Online Medical Library, regular pelvic exams with PAP smears can detect some of these gynecologic cancers in the earliest most treatable stage.
Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the uterus. Uterine fibroids account for 200,000 hysterectomies each year, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Fibroids can grow at three levels in the uterus: superficially just below the uterine or submucousal linging, between muscle layers or intramural and on the outside tissue layer or subserosal. Fibroids can cause painful periods with heavy bleeding and bleeding between periods, infertility problems or pregnancy complications if women do become pregnant. Depending on the location and size of the fibroids, they can sometimes be surgically removed, sparing the uterus.
About this Author
Carole Wegner is a Ph.D. scientist and in-vitro fertilization lab director in the Midwest. For more than 20 years, she has published scientific findings in peer-reviewed journals such as “Endocrinology” and “Fertility & Sterility” and also written on the topic of ethics in reproductive medicine.
