Endometriosis is connected to many other medical conditions including Fibromyalgia. I spoke about their connection very briefly when I tackled the topic of – Can Endometriosis Cause Joint Pain? Today, I wish to get into details of this connect.
As always, let’s begin with the basics – although I have explained what endometriosis is many times in previous posts, yet I feel it’s always good to refresh our memory and see it in context with the main topic, and that’s fibromyalgia.
Just in case you wish to watch a video version of this post, then you can here on my YouTube channel:
What is Endometriosis?
Now endometriosis is a condition in which the lining similar to that of the uterus is found to be growing outside it – a few examples of where it can be found are the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, chest, bowels and more – and more places but there are some rare cases of endometriosis being found in the brain as well.
Basically, endometriosis can be found almost anywhere in the body and it will then disrupt the functioning of that organ or region.
To explain briefly, endometriosis is when the lining similar to that of the uterus is found growing outside the uterus.
And as explained by Dr Abhishek Mangeshikar, an endometriosis excision specialist in my chat with him, he said:
“under the influence of hormones there is inflammation which produces new blood vessels and which causes the capillaries in the surrounding tissue to rupture (bleeding) which leads to a cycle of repeated tissue injury and repair every month [which is known as] fibrosis and scar tissue.”
To know more about endometriosis, I’ve linked all my blog posts in one area which should help:
What is Fibromyalgia?
A simplified explanation: Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder that causes fatigue and severe pain in the bones and muscles.
Update: In the video (linked above) I shared on YouTube, and as I’ve just mentioned that “fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder” – someone commented:
“Fibromyalgia is not autoimmune but it is gross, no doubt.”
This is where I replied the following:
“Hi… This article from 2021 may suggest otherwise – yes it could still be up for debate as research continues but any ways, here’s the link: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/fibromyalgia-more-evidence-of-links-to-immune-system
It says “A study has now found that antibodies from people with fibromyalgia induce symptoms of the disease in mice, which strongly suggests that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder.”
And yep, we’re not mice, but unfortunately that’s usually where studies begin.”
I hope this clarifies things further.
Read Here For:
- Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Natural Pain Relief – My Journey
- Are Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & Fibromyalgia Connected?
- Tips: Dating Someone with a Chronic Illness
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
There are multiple symptoms of fibromyalgia and it also may vary based on the additional medical issues you may be facing as some symptoms maybe exacerbated because of this.
But here’s a list of some of the symptoms:
- Fatigue, Pain & Tenderness
- Fibro-Fog – lack of concentration
- Stiffness
- Numbness
- Twitching
- Swelling & Tingling of Hands & Feet – known as Paresthesia
- Tension Headaches
- Depression
- Sleep Issues
- Anxiety
- Sensitivity to Heat, Cold, Light & Sound
- Problems with Urination
- Painful Menstruation
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Memory Issues
- Restless Legs Syndrome
Are there Links Between Endometriosis and Fibromyalgia?
Although there isn’t a concrete cause for fibromyalgia, but some believe that there could be a problem with how the brain and spine understand pain signals.
But here, I’m focussing on the link between endometriosis and fibromyalgia.
A study explains how fibromyalgia amongst other conditions is more common in those with endometriosis.
The problem is, once you have endometriosis, your risk of developing autoimmune disorders increases and because many such conditions have over-lapping symptoms, it can be hard to decipher which particular condition is the cause of your symptoms.
“Experts do not classify endometriosis as an autoimmune disease. However, endometriosis may increase a person’s risk of developing an autoimmune disease, as well as other chronic conditions.The reason for the link is unclear, but it might exist because endometriosis causes inflammation, which may contribute to an imbalanced immune response.”
And an imbalanced immune response, may cause the body to attack itself, which is classified as an autoimmune disease.
If we just imagine, and try to put together the fact that endometriosis causes debilitating pain, and fibromyalgia causes skin and muscular sensitivity along with tenderness, lack of sleep, fatigue and so much more – you’re looking at someone who could have frequent moments and continuous days of struggle as they get stuck into a vicious cycle of pain – poor sleep – more pain – anxiety – nervousness – tingling sensations – lack of sleep – fatigue – menstrual cramps – IBS – poor sleep – pain… all with no end in sight.
This whole experience isn’t very pleasant, but we do need to figure out how best to treat it to help improve the quality of our life, so please read here for the next post that explains how we should treat fibromyalgia if you have endometriosis but frankly, even if you don’t have endometriosis, the information collected is beneficial if you’re looking to focus on fibromyalgia alone.
Read Here For:
If you have found this information helpful then please do share it.
If you feel I have missed out on something then do let me know in the comments below.
If you would like to share your experience of coping with endometriosis and fibromyalgia, then the comments section is all yours – I’m always happy to hear from you all.
Thank you for sticking around and reading… have a good day – O’ and if you like, catch me on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest 😀
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am a patient and have created this platform to share my experiences. This is all purely informative and in no way am I providing medical advice. Please consult a medical professional.