Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) vs. Endometriosis

There are many women who discover their IBS symptoms becoming bad to worse during their monthly period time. When this is seen, one can come to the inference that the problem comes from the reproductive organs and certainly not the bowel end. If you talk about Endometriosis, it can be called as a gynaecological ailment that is similar to IBS that can give symptoms like cramping and abdominal pain. Hence one can have any of the issue, which can get interchanged by the women; hence it is better to have the understanding of the two, which are discussed below:

Link between endometriosis and IBS

The fact is both of them are different to each other hence having a link in between the two is some link in between. Now, let’s understand the two to see if they are linked to each other. Endometriosis can be called as a condition wherein the endometrial tissues are seen growing over the body parts outside the uterus. Owing to this tissue (outside the uterus) it cannot be expelled out via the woman’s vagina during the time of period. This can inflame and lead to issues like cysts and adhesions. To make things bad, this tissue can be seen growing over the same hormones that can bring in this issue in the coming months. On the other side, IBS is a similar kind of condition found among women, which can be reported often when the women is seen having endometriosis. This draws some link in between the two.

Signs and symptoms of IBS vs. Endometriosis

• The women suffering from issues like the IBS are somewhat similar to the Endometriosis. Let’s check some of the symptoms of IBS as discussed in the following:
• You experience during the bowel movements
• You experience very much difficulty while having the bowel movement
• At times you can feel the severe amount of abdominal pain owing to the problem called endometriosis that can accompany with other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea.

While the women who are seen suffering from the issues of endometriosis can be reported with the following symptoms:

•         You can experience a strong abdominal pain and cramping, especially when you have your monthly period (dysmenorrhea), but more often you can find the pain lasting the entire cycle
•        You experience loads of pain during or after the sexual intercourse (dyspareunia)
•        For some women they may face the issue of infertility
•        One can even find issues like bladder difficulties

Difference between irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis causes

Though both of these ailments can result to issues like cramping and abdominal pain, there can appear some vital differences in between the two disorders.  One of the research group has carried out a study for comparing the two ailments and found the difference between the two. The research study claimed that the women with IBS were more prone to report the condition than the ones with endometriosis patients. They face the following symptoms, which are very much different than the IBS.

•          Change in bowel habit including diarrhoea or constipation
•         Colicky pain
•         Nausea
•        Distension
•        Worsening of pain due to stress or food
•         Upper abdominal pain
•     When you talk about the other condition like endometriosis, the patient can experience the following symptoms:
•       These include bleeding found in between period
•         The increasing kind of pain owing to premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycles &
•        Tenderness found within the vagina

Diagnosing IBS and endometriosis pain

Once you experience the above symptoms, it is always better to report the same to your gynaecologist. These conditions can be easily diagnosed the best with the help of laparoscopy. Though most of the times the symptoms can be experienced much later after the advent of the problem. Therefore it is always better to be keen in discussing any changes in your gynaecological changes to the doctor.

Treatment for irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis

Once these conditions are diagnosed, the doctor can start the treatment as per the intensity of the symptoms. It can be both the blend of consuming painkillers and hormone treatment options, which can depend upon the conditions. Many a times women do not report the conditions and avoid getting treated for the same. Surgery for these conditions is also one of the effective choice again depending upon the severity of the problem. These are often carried out via laparoscopic method and be can even carried out via the open surgery.

Hysterectomy Surgery - How Safe and Effective Is This Surgery?

What is a hysterectomy?

The procedure for treatment of many female disorders and ailments are known, one of which is hysterectomy. This is a process to remove uterus from body of a female and other reproductive organs too.  This is required for various kinds of disorders.

According to the studies it is one of the most common surgeries in females ranking at number second, in child bearing age group of women. With records of NHS (National Health Service), UK, approx 20 % of women at age of 55 years have this surgery for some or other reasons.

“Hysterectomy “is derived from hystera, a Greek word which means “womb”, and suffix -ectomy is a” cutting out”, came from Greek term ektome.

Reasons for Having a Hysterectomy

·      Unusual vaginal bleeding that is not controlled by other treatment strategies

·      Extreme endometriosis (uterine tissue that develops outside the uterus)

·  Leiomyomas or uterine fibroids (kind tumors) that have expanded in size are excruciating or are the cause of bleeding.

·   Expanded pelvic agony identified with the uterus however not controlled by other treatment

·   Uterine prolapse (uterus that has "dropped" into the vaginal waterway because of debilitated bolster muscles) that can prompt urinary incontinence or trouble with discharging stools and causing constipation.

·    Cervical or uterine cancer or variations from the norm that may prompt growth for disease like cancer.

·       Heavy and painful periods

·       Pelvic inflammatory disease (chronic pelvic pain) 

What are different Types of Hysterectomy?

There are three types of hysterectomy, they are

·     A subtotal hysterectomy – in this method only uterus is eliminated surgically , cervix is not removed.

·     A total hysterectomy - here the complete body of the uterus and the cervix both are removed surgically.

·   A total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy - here the complete reproductive system the uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and ovaries are all surgically removed. The other name for the process is Radical hysterectomy.

Surgical techniques and methods to perform hysterectomy

Specialists use distinctive methodologies for hysterectomy, contingent upon the specialist's experience, the explanation behind the hysterectomy, and also a lady's general wellbeing. The hysterectomy strategy will incompletely focus recuperating time and the sort of scar, if any, that remaining parts after the operation.

There are two ways to deal with surgery – a conventional or open surgery and surgery utilizing a minimal invasive method or MIP

Open Surgery Hysterectomy- conventional method (abdominal hysterectomy)

A stomach hysterectomy is an open surgery. This is the most widely recognized way to deal with hysterectomy, representing around 65% of all methods.

To perform a stomach hysterectomy, a specialist makes a 5-to 7-inch entry point, either here and there or side-to-side, over the paunch. The specialist then uproots the uterus through this cut.

MIP Hysterectomy (minimal invasive method)

·        Vaginal hysterectomy: the incision is made over vagina to remove uterus. No scar is developed by closing the cut. 

·        Laparoscopic hysterectomy: the surgical method involves a laparoscope, a tube with a lighted camera, and instruments inserted in the belly via small cuts. The surgeon operates all tools performing the hysterectomy from outside the body, by viewing on screen through camera inserted.

·        Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy

·        Robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy

How is Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy (LAVH) performed?

Laparoscopically Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy (LAVH) - laparoscopic surgical procedures are utilized to uproot the uterus and/or tubes and ovaries through the vagina. At the point when the tubes and ovaries must be removed it used to be important to make a cut through stomach. LAVH expands the likelihood of doing this through the vagina. Patients generally need to have benign conditions that prompt hysterectomy and have a uterus with small size. LAVHs are turning out to be more general for patients with a uterine prolapse. Specialists say that conventional vaginal hysterectomies give them less space to work and no legitimate chance to take an observation at the pelvic organs - the camera toward the end of the laparoscope permits him/her too see inside the belly.

What are the advantages and risks of LAVH?

Advantages

·       Permits specialist to analyze pelvic organs and evacuate sores (cysts), scar tissue (grips), fibroids, and regions of disease affected by infection.

·       At the point when compared to stomach hysterectomy, this process needs a shorter hospitalization and causes less torment.

·       Lesser recovery time

·       Littler scars on the stomach area than with an abdominal hysterectomy.

Risks and complications

       Most ladies who experience hysterectomy have no major issues from LAVH. But some complications may occur, as with any surgery, hysterectomy can bring about for a little minority of ladies. Those inconveniences include:

·       Urinary incontinence

·       Anesthesia problems (such as breathing or heart problems)

·       Pain

How Safe and Effective Is This Surgery?

Hysterectomy Surgery in India is a long term beneficial surgery and effective method to treat various female affecting disorders and reproductive organ troubles.

The advanced methods make appropriate treatment options with minimum risks giving a healthy life ahead.

Reference:

http://www.webmd.com/women/guide/hysterectomy

http://www.medicinenet.com/hysterectomy/article.htm

Endometriosis: Know All The Facts and Symptoms

Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK, but most people have never heard of this condition. Here’s presenting the facts and symptoms you should know about endometriosis.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a gynaecological condition in which the tissue, which is similar to the lining of the womb grows in other areas of the body, most often in the pelvic region. The tissue responds to the hormones in the same way as the lining of the womb, but with no outlet. It can lead to severe pain, causes inflammation, scarring and adhesions and many other symptoms.

What are The Symptoms?

The most common symptoms of endometriosis are severe pain during or in between the periods, painful bowel movements, heavy and irregular periods, pain during or after sex and pain in the bladder.

Extreme fatigue is quite common, fertility may also be affected. Additionally, misdiagnosis of the condition results in delaying the accurate diagnosis, tests and sometimes unnecessary surgery.

How it is Diagnosed?

The only conclusive way to determine if a woman has endometriosis is through a laparoscopy. During a laparoscopic procedure, a small laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen to look directly at the internal tissue. Often this procedure is carried out under general anaesthesia. During laparoscopy various procedures can be performed to destroy or remove the endometriosis, endometriosis cysts and release the scar tissue and adhesions.

According to a research by the Endometriosis UK, it would typically take more than seven years to make a correct diagnosis. During this time, women may suffer agonizing pain every month that would impact their lives, relationships and their ability to work.

Can Endometriosis Be Cured?

There is no cure for endometriosis, but treatments can help with the pain and infertility. The treatments for endometriosis depends on how severe your symptoms are and whether you want to get pregnant. If you have pain only, then the hormone therapy will lower the estrogen levels, which will shrink the implants and reduce pain. If you want to become pregnant, then undergoing surgery or the infertility treatment or both will help.

Not all women with this condition experiences pain and endometriosis will not always get worse over time. Usually, it improves during pregnancy and after menopause. The decision to get treatment for endometriosis depends on you, if you have mild pain and have no plans for a future pregnancy or if you are near the menopause or around the age of 50, then you may not feel the need for the treatment.

You can apply heat to your belly and can exercise regularly to help with the pain caused by endometriosis.

Medicines: If you have pain or bleeding but you are not planning to get pregnant soon, then the anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) or the birth control hormones such as pills, patch or ring will control the pain The birth control hormones are likely to keep the endometriosis from getting worse. In case of severe symptom, the NSAIDs or the birth control hormones doesn’t work and you might try a stronger hormone therapy.

Surgery: If the hormone therapy doesn’t work or if the growth are affecting other organs, then surgery is the next step. During surgery, the endometrial growths and scar tissues are removed and usually, this is performed through one or more small incisions using the laparoscopy. The laparoscopic endometriosis surgery helps to improve the pain and also increases your chance of pregnancy. In severe cases, the uterus removal also known as hysterectomy and the ovaries removal, known as oophorectomy is an option and these can cause early menopause. Therefore, these procedures are preferred only when you have no pregnancy plans and have had little relief from other treatments.

9 Safe Routines to Get You Move Again After a Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure involving the removal of a woman’s uterus. Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery among women of reproductive age with about 600,000 procedures being performed each year. The primary reason for hysterectomy include endometriosis, pelvic pain, shifting of the uterus and cancer of the uterus, ovaries or cervix and uterine fibroids.

There are three different degrees of hysterectomy; total, partial and radical. Your doctor will make a recommendation based on the patient’s medical condition and history. Recovery time will vary depending on the type of surgery performed.

Types of Hysterectomy:

1. Abdominal Hysterectomy
2. Vaginal or Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy (LAVH)
3. Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy (LSH)

As per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the patients undergoing this procedure should get lots of rests, take short walks and refrain from lifting the heavy objects.

Exercising After Undergoing a Hysterecomy:

Post-hysterectomy exercise is one of the key factors in the healing process by promoting healthy sleep, assisting in weight loss, relieving muscle tension and preventing a range of diseases, from various types of cancer to diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Women who were physically fit before undergoing this procedure are more likely to have an easier recovery and will be able to quickly return back to their routine physical activities.

The safe routines to get you moving again posy hysterectomy include the following:

1. Walking: You can start walking on your doctor’s approval. Take short, frequent walks; this will help to speed up the healing and recovery process and will reduce the risk of blood clots.
2. Breathing Exercises: It is quite common to experience difficulty breathing in the hours and days following a hysterectomy. Take long, slow breaths, completely filling the lungs, belly and rib cage before slowly exhaling. Targeted breathing exercises will help you return to a normal, comfortable respiratory pattern.
3. Stretching: Gentle stretches will help relieve muscle tension and promote healthy blood circulation. Stretch your upper back and shoulders while lying on the bed or on the floor. Bend your knees and reach your arms up over the head, lightly press them against the floor or the bed and then release. Repeat this procedure. As you get stronger and more mobile, you can add more advanced stretches to this routine.
4. Pelvic Tilts: It helps to strengthen the pelvic floor. Lie on your back with your knees bent and support your head with a pillow. Lift your bottom up into a bridge position while contracting your stomach muscles. Keep your middle back flush against the floor. Maintain this position for a few seconds, release and repeat this procedure.
5. Kegels: Post hysterectomy, your pelvic floor may be weakened and this can cause loss of the bladder control, shifting of pelvic organs and other problems. They can be performed in any position and at any time. Simply, squeeze the muscle you would normally use to stop the flow of urine, release and repeat. Aim for high repetitions of varying lengths.
6. Head Sit-Ups: If you are not ready for full-crunches, then start with a head sit-up. Lie on your back, bend your knees and cross your arms over the belly. Cinch the stomach muscles with your hands, slowly raise your head off the floor and bring your chin to your chest. After a few seconds, release and repeat.
7. Stomach “Vacuums”: This move helps strengthen the stomach muscles safely. Start from your hands and knees, inhale and then tighten your tummy as you slowly exhale. After a few seconds, release and repeat it.
8. Lower Back Exercises: They help to strengthen the core while improving the posture and stability, thereby aid in healing and recovery. It also helps to alleviate and prevent the back pain post hysterectomy.
9. Other Abdominal Exercises: It’s normal to experience bloating or loss of abdominal strength after a hysterectomy. Although diet and cardio help in slimming down the midsection, targeted core exercises helps to strengthen those muscles. Ensure to give special attention to the transverses abdominis (TA) muscles by performing, planks, Pilates moves, bridges and forward ball rolls.

Wrap-up:

Always check with your doctor before starting or resuming an exercise routine after undergoing a hysterectomy surgery. Walk and stretch as soon as your doctor gives you the green signal. Do not lift anything heavier than five pounds for the complete recovery period. Engage yourself in abdominal exercises only after the full recovery period. Even if you feel good, do not overdo it since you can strain the incision or cause an internal injury.

Read More:

Types of Hysterectomy Surgery in India

Reasons for a Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is basically a surgical procedure to remove the uterus of women. Based on the cause of hysterectomy, the uterus should be removing completely or only a part of it should be removed can be decided by the surgeon. An individual might need to undergo hysterectomy due to the mentioned reasons:

  

Infection in the pelvis

Pelvic region infection or the PID (Pelvic Inflammatory disease) is an infection of the reproductive organ of the female. When you are considering STD in women (i.e. sexually transmitted disease), it is one of the most dreaded reason. It can further cause the irreversible damage to the ovaries, the uterus, fallopian tubes and other reproductive system parts of a women body, this is what makes it a primary reason behind of women infertility, thus need to be undergo treatment.

Fibrosis on the wall of the uterus

It is a condition in which the inside lining of the uterus breaks due to the muscle wall of the uterus. This fibrosis on the wall further cause lower abdominal pressure, menstrual cramps, and can result in heavy menstrual periods. This condition might affect only a single spot of can affect the whole uterus of women. Though it is non-life threatening condition, but one with this condition can have negative impact on quality of life.

Endometriosis

It is generally a chronic disorder which long-lasts. The line of the uterus cells/tissue is also start developing external side of the uterus, when an individual is experiencing endometriosis. The implants (clumps of tissues) may have spread on the external wall of uterus, ovaries or fallopian tubes, intestine and/or other organs. In some cases it might spread to regions beyond belly. But if the clumps of tissues grows in a sensitive region it might cause constant pain and pain during some activities, which make it worth undergo for treatment.

Uterine fibroid

It is a kind of tissue which develops outside or inside a women’s womb (uterus) and is non-cancerous in nature. It develops from normal cells of uterus muscle which start developing abnormally. It forms a benign tumor as the cell starts growing. These are extremely common, these are the benign lumps grow on the women uterus. Hysterectomy is one of the treatment options.

Irregular menstrual bleeding 

Most of the females are facing the problem of spotting between periods sometimes or abnormal vaginal bleeding in their lifespan. It can be considered abnormal or irregular, if it occurs:

1.       When you are not expecting your periods

2.       When the flow of menstrual is heavier or lighter than regular periods

3.       At the time of periods in life when it is not expected, after menopause, during pregnancy, or before age 9

These are few of the causes of irregular menstrual bleeding, though there are some of the more causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding which might include sexual harassment and other major health reasons, which makes it worth undergo treatment.

Chronic lower abdominal pain

There are many different reasons of chronic lower abdominal (pelvic) pain. Individuals can have one or more reasons at the same time, which makes it even harder to find out the source of the pain. Some of the symptoms are:

1.       Adenomyosis

2.       Endometriosis

3.       Irritable Bowel Syndrome

4.       Interstitial Cystitis

5.       Levator Syndrome

6.       Psychological Causes

7.       Pelvic Support Problems

8.       Uterine Fibroids

9.       Urinary Tract Infection

10.   Vulvodynia

 Surgery on the uterus

This can also be a reason, in this surgery the uterus can be removed via a incision in abdomen or in vagina, based on the reason of surgery. These surgical methods are basically utilized early cervical cancer, and when the enlarging of uterus is occurred.

Types of Laparoscopy Surgery

Hysterectomy:
Hysterectomy is a surgery to remove the uterus. It helps prevent future pregnancy as well as reduces fibroid-related bleeding and pressure symptoms.

Laparoscopic removal of endometriosis:
Our medical experience tells us that much better outcomes are got when endometriosis is excised (remove) , rather than cauterized or lasered, whenever there is the slightest hint that the disease goes deeper than the most superficial layers of pelvic tissue.

Laparoscopic removal of ovarian cysts:
Ovarian cysts up to 10 cm (3.5 inches) in diameter are routinely removed laparoscopically in our division.

Laparoscopic removal of adhesions (scar tissue):
When careful evaluation has proven that adhesions may play a role in a person's abdominal or pelvic pain , we sometimes recommend laparoscopic surgery to try to reduce the amount of adhesions present.

Laparoscopic removal of a tube and ovary:
When an ovary is too involved with a disease process to salvage, it is generally easy to cut it away using laparoscopic techniques.

Myomectomy:

Myomectomy is the surgical removal of uterine fibroids without the removal of the uterus.

Laparoscopic uterine suspension:
In about 15-20% of women, the top end of the uterus leans back toward the backbone, instead of leaning forward , toward the bladder.

Laparoscopic bladder support surgery:
Many different surgeries have been produced to deal with "stress incontinence," or loss of urine during coughing, laughing, or any other physical activity.

Endometrial ablation (for heavy periods):
There are now about 8 different approved techniques for applying some form of energy to the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) in order to reduce the amount of menstrual flow for a person who has regular, but quite heavy, periods.