Endometriosis and Gastrointestinal symptoms By Iris Kerin Orbuch, M.D.

Did you know that Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are as common as gynecological symptoms in women with endometriosis? Over 90% of women diagnosed with endometriosis initially present with GI symptoms. Bloating is the most common presenting symptom, and is typically reported by 83% of women with endometriosis. In addition to bloating, other GI symptoms, including diarrhea, constipation, painful bowel movements, nausea, and/or vomiting, are also common in women with endometriosis. It is interesting to note that GI symptoms are often independent of location of endometriosis lesions in relation to the bowel. This means that you can have GI symptoms without endometriosis actually infiltrating into the bowel. In other words, your endometriosis lesion(s) may be close to your bowel but not necessarily be on your bowel. It is nonetheless important to remember that for some women, endometriosis can infiltrate the bowel, distort intestinal anatomy, or alter normal bowel physiology, which can lead to constipation, bloating, painful bowel movements, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. ( READ MORE )

To Remove the Cervix or Preserve It During Hysterectomy? Your Options Explained.

A hysterectomy refers to the removal of a women’s uterus (womb) and possibly the cervix.  Hysterectomy is one of the most common surgeries in the United States, with approximately 600,000 performed annually .  Reasons for performing a hysterectomy include pelvic pain, heavy vaginal bleeding, fibroids, pelvic organ prolapse and cancer.  There are two main types of hysterectomies: total and supracervical.  A total hysterectomy refers to removal of the uterus and the cervix (It is a common misconception that a total hysterectomy includes removal of the ovaries.  If the ovaries are to be removed, your surgeon will refer to that as a bilateral salpingoophorectomy or BSO.).  A supracervical hysterectomy refers to removal of just the uterus with the cervix being left in place.  Your surgeon may give you the option to keep or remove your cervix, but in some circumstances removal of the cervix is medically warranted.  Hysterectomies that are performed for treatment of cancer generally will involve removal of both the uterus and cervix.  Women having a hysterectomy for any of the first three reasons may elect to have either a total or supracervical hysterectomy (Figure 1).   If the hysterectomy is for pelvic organ prolapse, the cervix may or may not need to be removed based on the type of prolapse repair that you need.  In the United States in 2003, six percent of all hysterectomies performed were supracervical . ( READ MORE )