Doctors Often Overlook Fatigue when Treating Endometriosis
Exhausted? Tired in the morning after a night’s sleep? Barely able to keep your eyes open? If this your normal day and you suffer from endometriosis, the two may be connected.
A new study on endometriosis, when tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the organ causing bleeding and debilitating pain, reveals that fatigue and this condition may be intertwined.
According to the June 26, 2018 study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, twice as many women with endometriosis reported experiencing fatigue compared to women without the disorder. This statistic remained true even when outside fatigue-inducing issues such as parenting, weight, stress and depression, were factored into the equation.
Pain Plus Fatigue
When most women are diagnosed with endometriosis, they head to the doctor with complaints of pain, irregular and/or heavy bleeding and sometimes fertility issues. Yet this study shows that many women who are feeling drained and exhausted never realized that endometriosis may be the cause.
A total of 1,120 women participated in the study, half of whom were diagnosed with endometriosis. Their responses revealed that half of the women with the painful condition reported insomnia and fatigue compared to just a little over 22 percent without endometriosis.
What’s Causing the Exhaustion?
The link between pain, infertility, bleeding and endometriosis is well established but fatigue? Not so much. That’s one of the reasons this complication has traditionally been overlooked. But inflammation caused by the excess of tissue may be the contributing factor. The body is basically fighting off an infection and working overtime to do so.
In addition, chronic pain can make sleep difficult causing insomnia and making daily activities exhausting.
Treatment
Surgery, hormone therapy and pain medication are some of the treatment options for endometriosis. Since the fatigue and endometriosis connection is still relatively new, there is still a lot of research needed to understand the best course of treatments.
If you’re suffering from endometriosis or think you may be, schedule a consultation with Dr. Ghozland to learn more about the treatment options available.