Endometriosis: A traumatic childhood experience is the key

This text first appeared in December 2023.

A few years ago, a colleague sent me a young patient to the clinic, whom I should “look into my stomach”. It suffered from endometriosis: cells of the uterine mucosa are distributed outside the organ, grow with the monthly cycle and “bleed”. You can trigger inflammation and thus serious pain. I became puzzled when the woman gave me a thick file folder and told her story. She was only in his mid -20s, but had already had about 20 abdominal operations. It was clear to me that another operation would only alleviate your symptoms at short notice. Every intervention traumatized – i.e. injured – the tissue again, triggers adhesions and scars.

Chronic pain as she had the woman is very complex. They lead to a vicious circle of anxious expectation, increased tension, increase in pain, even more fear and tension – and even more pain. Scientific studies also show that the severity of endometriosis is independent of the expansion of the disease: there are women who have many herds, but hardly any symptoms. And there are women who have severe pain, but you can hardly find lesions. In other words, the same finding triggers something different for everyone.

Such a young woman, so much pain, so many operations – I was sure that more was behind it. I started to inquire with the patient about her past. Was there an event that could be related to the permanent complaints? At first she did not understand what I wanted to go.