Endometriosis: Uterine Lining Grows Outside Uterus
Dr. Marianne Marchese has a medical background in Integrative Medicine and Women's Health as well as in Environmental Medicine. She is clinical supervisor at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Experienced in matters of women's health, Dr. Marchese is quite familiar with the pain of endometriosis. The lining of the uterus begins to grow on the outside of the uterus, showing up on the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the bowel, the bladder or the liver.
(Transcribed from video interview)
Dr. Marchese:
Well endometriosis is a condition where the lining of the uterus starts to grow on the outside of the uterus and as it grows on the outside of the uterus, which it’s not supposed to do, it can adhere to other structures and organs in the pelvic area. For example, endometriosis can adhere to the fallopian tubes and affect fertility. It can adhere to the ovaries effecting ovulation and altering a woman’s hormones, and often times if it gets severe enough, endometriosis can adhere to the bowel and then women might come in complaining of painful bowel movements and I have even seen cases of endometriosis adhering to the bladder and all the way up high as the liver.
So when it gets severe enough that lining of the inside of the uterus can start to grow on the outside and take over the pelvic cavity and then a woman’s main symptoms are painful menstrual cramps when she cycles each month. Sometimes these cramps can be so painful that she has to stay home from work and it really affects her daily life. Other symptoms could be pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements, pain with urination. So pain is a big sign of endometriosis.
About Dr. Marianne Marchese, N.D., L.L.C.:
Dr. Marianne Marchese is a clinician, author, and educator. She graduated from Creighton University in 1990 with a B.S. in Occupational Therapy and specialized in neurological and orthopedic conditions while working at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Dr. Marchese received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) in Portland, Oregon in 2002.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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