What Causes Endometriosis

As we mentioned in the previous article, during the last stage of menstrual cycle, normally a layer of endometriosis lining in the inside of uterus is expelled which is known as menstruation blood, but instead some of the endometriosis tissues grow somewhere in the body causing endometriosis. They also react to hormone signals of the monthly menstrual cycle, building up tissue, breaking it and eliminating it through the menstrual period. In this article, we will discuss what causes endometriosis. In fact, the causes of endometriosis is not known, but there are some suggestions and theories.

1. Retrograde menstruation
The retrograde menstruation theory suggests that during menstruation the blood flows backward instead of outward causing menstrual blood to go through the fallopian tubes to the pelvic and abdominal cavity, resulting in blood embedding on the outside of the uterus into other tissues and organs causing endometriosis.

2. Weakening of immune system
Normally, the immune will destroy endometrial cells which are located outside the uterus. If the immune system is weakened and no longer functions normally, it will allow the endometrial cells that shed to attach and grow elsewhere in the body.

3. Stress and emotion
During stress and emotion, the adrenal glands produce cortisol which affects the function of the body to cleanse toxins resulting in stimulating the growth of endometriosis.

4. Embryonic theory
This theory suggests during the embryonic stage, some endometrial cells which normally grow in the womb instead develops in the abdomen.

5. Hormone imbalance
Endometriosis happens during reproductive years of women when estrogen and progesterone are most active. In each stage of the menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone must be balanced for women to conceive. Any imbalance of hormones during the menstrual cycle causes conversion of estrogen into bad estrogen and over-production of prostaglandin causing the cervix to contract resulting in no escaping of the menstrual period, causing menstrual cramps and endometriosis. Nutritional deficiency is also one of the causes of hormone imbalance.

6. Hereditary
Endometriosis may be genetics passing through from generation to generation or it may result from genetic errors, causing some women to become more likely than others to develop the condition. Study shows that women are 5 times more likely to develop endometriosis if her sister has it. It is wise for these women to have children in their early reproductive years.

7. Toxic environment
Study shows that exposing our body to toxins found in pesticides and some harmful waste products may have some hormonal and chemical influence causing activation of endometriosis at the time of menstrual cycle resulting in proliferating of endo-tissues to the abnormal area in our body.

8. Xenoestrogen
Interaction of our body with certain chemicals causes a disruption of the body's hormones as resulting of over-production of estrogen converting to xenoestrogen to stimulate the growth of endometriosis.

9. Sex during menstruation.
Sexual intercourse during menstruation causes the endometriosis tissue to travel into the fallopian tubes then into the ovary resulting in developing ovarian endometriosis.