All You Need to Know About Adenomyosis: Key Insights into Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Options

Adenomyosis occurs when tissue from the endometrium, the uterine lining, develops into the myometrium, the uterine muscle wall. As it still reacts to the monthly hormones that cause periods, this misplaced tissue can cause issues in the years leading up to menopause. This tissue also thickens, degrades and bleeds along with the uterine lining. Adenomyosis might be upsetting and distracting, but it doesn’t pose a threat to your life.

What is adenomyosis?

Adenomyosis is a condition where the tissue that resembles the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, begins to develop into the myometrium, the muscle wall of the uterus. As a result, the uterus might thicken and enlarge, almost double or triple in size. Abdominal pain, heavy or extended menstrual bleeding with clotting and painful periods are all possible symptoms of adenomyosis. 

What are the symptoms of adenomyosis?

The common symptoms of adenomyosis include:

• Painful menstrual cramps
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Abnormal menstruation
• Pelvic pain
• Painful intercourse
• Infertility
• Enlarged uterus
• Bloating or fullness in the stomach

What are the risk factors of adenomyosis?

Some of the risk factors of adenomyosis are as follows:

• It usually occurs in people ages forty to fifty.
• It is most likely to occur in women who have given birth to a baby.
• It occurs in individuals who have had prior uterine surgeries, such as uterine fibroid removal.  
• It develops in people who have endometriosis.

What are the complications of adenomyosis?

When the symptoms of adenomyosis worsen, they lead to many complications, such as anaemia, fatigue, cold and weakness. These are all caused by the heavy menstrual bleeding from adenomyosis. Heavy menstrual bleeding is a common occurrence, which leads to several complications of this condition. It is also more difficult to perform daily tasks while you are experiencing severe menstrual bleeding and discomfort.  

Diagnosis of adenomyosis

Several diagnostic tests are used to examine this condition. Some of them are:  

• Pelvic examinations: Healthcare professionals can assess the condition of reproductive organs by doing a pelvic exam. The organs in the pelvis are referred to as pelvic. A healthcare practitioner can quickly and safely check for abnormalities by performing a pelvic exam to make sure everything feels and looks normal.  
• Ultrasound: It is a non-invasive imaging test done using sonography or ultrasonography. Sonogram is the term for an ultrasound image. High-frequency sound waves are used in ultrasound to produce live images or videos of internal organs or other soft tissues. Without requiring any cuts or incisions, ultrasound allows medical professionals to see details of the soft tissues inside the body.  
• Magnetic resonance imaging: It is referred to as MRI scanning, which is a kind of image testing that uses magnets and strong radio waves to produce images of the internal structures of the patient. Each MRI picture is referred to as a slice. The pictures can be stored on a computer or can be printed on a film. Thousands of pictures can be produced in a single examination.

How is adenomyosis treated?

The symptoms of adenomyosis usually disappear after menopause as the hormone’s oestrogen encourages the formation of endometrial tissue. These therapies can help with severe bleeding, discomfort and other symptoms.  

• Pain medications: certain pain-relieving drugs are given to ease the pain and discomfort.
• Hormonal medications: Hormonal medications can help with menstruation and abnormal bleeding.  
• Aden myomectomy: It is a surgical procedure to remove adenomyosis from the uterine muscles.  
• Hysterectomy: It is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus so that women cannot have the menstrual cycle or vaginal bleeding.  

Conclusion

To conclude, adenomyosis is an endometrial tissue that normally lines the uterus and develops into uterine wall muscle. Throughout each menstrual cycle, the misplaced tissue keeps acting normally, swelling, dissolving and bleeding. This can lead to painful, heavy periods and an enlarged uterus. Although the exact aetiology of adenomyosis is unknown, the condition typically goes away after menopause. Hormonal therapy can benefit women with adenomyosis who experience extreme discomfort. It can be cured with a wide range of treatment techniques.