Understanding Prenatal Care
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Understanding Prenatal Care

After I found out that I was pregnant, I decided to focus on finding an excellent prenatal care. I started looking for an OBGYN who could help me with the kind of care that I needed, but it was overwhelming at first. I was nervous that I would choose the wrong provider and that it would complicate my pregnancy, but I was able to find a great doctor who could help me along the way. He walked me through prenatal care requirements, and it was really fantastic to see the difference that it made in my life. This blog is here to help other people to understand prenatal care.

Understanding Prenatal Care

This Is Why Your Endometriosis Hurts So Much During Your Period

Regina Cooper

If you've been diagnosed with endometriosis, chances are you already know that it's responsible for a lot of pelvic pain during your period. But maybe you're unclear on why a simple bit of extra tissue can cause such a problem. If this sounds like you, then check out this simple guide to discover why it's such a problem for women all over the world.

What it Is

Endometriosis is, essentially, a bit of tissue that exists where it shouldn't. Namely, uterine tissue, the same stuff that lines the uterus. While doctors and scientists aren't completely sure why it happens, sometimes uterine tissue can form outside of the uterus in a woman's body. It's not necessarily even limited to the pelvis, as some women have had endometriosis even on the brain. While most women won't have it in extreme places, that doesn't mean that it can't cause discomfort or downright pain right where it is.

What Happens During

The main reason why you have pelvic pain just before and during your period is because of how the endometrial tissue is responding to your sex hormones.

When you start heading towards your period, hormones are released in the body to shed the uterine lining and begin the period. That's right: the same uterine lining that is all endometriosis is. So what does this mean?

When you have a normal period, bleeding is limited to the inside of the uterus. Once the lining sheds, a little blood escapes before the capillaries seal themselves back up. This is a normal process and the body is designed to let this blood escape so it doesn't cause any problems. However, the same can't be said when endometrial tissue exists where it shouldn't. There's nowhere for shed blood or tissue to go when it's in a random part of your pelvis, and as a result, you can have swelling and pain develop.

Getting Help

The good news is that you don't have to go through endometriosis without help. If you've already had a diagnosis, or if your doctor suspects that it's endometriosis, you're already on the right path. Your next step will be to head to an OBGYN.

OBGYNs are experts at dealing with female sex health and they can detect endometriosis with ultrasound or MRI scans. Once the tissue has been detected, you'll be officially diagnosed with endometriosis. From there, birth control pills will likely be prescribed in order to limit the bleeding that you're experiencing. In fact, in many cases, birth control pills can help to shrink endometrial tissue so that it becomes far less of a problem. In extreme cases, surgery may be required to remove the tissue.


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