Why does endometriosis cause pain?


Pain is THE MAIN SYMPTOM of endometriosis and nearly all women suffering the disease will suffer from debilitating pain. Unfortunately for some the symptom of pain can be constant, while for others it will only happen at certain times of the month. 

As well as the pain reaction caused by the implants of endometriosis, certain actions and functions of the body can cause pain – like menstruation, ovulation, bowel movements, and intercourse.

The symptom of pain is reported by 95% of women with endometriosis.

If you understand some of the actions and reasons WHY and HOW you are suffering so much pain, you can learn about techniques and natural remedies to help combat it. 

 

Cause of pain of endometriosis

Let’s look at what pain is all about – what causes it – why do you feel pain!


Nearly all pain in the body is due to inflammation.  Inflammation is a natural bodily reaction to injury or damage to any tissue in the body.

The damaged site will trigger a reaction in the body that sets off the inflammatory action, blood vessels will dilate to increase blood flow to the area.  Cells in connective tissue release histamines (increase blood supply to damaged site) and prostaglandins which cause the inflammation.

Another type of pain is caused by your muscles when they go into spasm – as with menstrual cramps, and you feel these cramps through pain messenger signals sent through the body to the brain.


Some of the causes of pain include:

  • A major increase in inflammatory chemicals (cytokines).
  • Cyclical bleeding from endometriosis growths (called endometrial implants).
  • Development of scar tissue/adhesions - multiple adhesions can cause the reproductive organs to become misshapen.
  • Irritation of the pelvic floor nerves or other nerves - the pelvis has the greatest concentration of nerve fibres in the body.



Pain & inflammation


With endometriosis much of the pain may be due to inflammation around the implants.  Pain will also be felt in the adhesions caused by endometriosis.

The immune system will then be triggered into action and a chemical chain reaction begins with lymphokines, interleukins and interferons. These white cells then pour into the damaged site with the aim to protect it and allow the body to heal the damage.

These cells build a protective layer around the problem by inflaming it. This in turn can put pressure on nerve endings which will stimulate more pain.


Possible causes of pain with endometriosis


How do you reduce the symptom & sensation of pain?

 

As mentioned above, Prostaglandins are one of the key natural chemicals in the body that assist the transmission of pain signals to the brain. 

To fully understand the role of these pain messenger chemicals, there is a full  explanation HERE

Also read more about Prostaglandins and how they relate to endometriosis pain, womb contractions, infertility, and diet – important  information  to help you understand HOW you can reduce the pain, as well as other symptoms of endometriosis. Read more HERE

 

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Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostaglandin

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511671

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22003899

https://endometriosis.org/news/research/prostaglandins-cox2/

https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/prostaglandins/

 



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