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The cause of endometriosis is
unknown by now.
There are several theories, but none of them
have been proven yet.
Roles of the hormones and the immune system that play in
this condition remain uncertain.
- Retrograde menstruation theory.
Menstrual blood containing endometrial cells flows back through the
fallopian tubes, deposited in unusual locations in the pelvic and abdominal
cavity, than takes root and grows.
The cause of
retrograde menstruation is not clearly understood.
Many
women have retrograde menstruation in varying degrees,
yet not all of them develop endometriosis.
- Bloodstream theory.
The bloodstream carries endometrial cells to other sites in the
body.
- Immune system theory.
Many
researchers think a faulty immune
system plays a part in endometriosis.
In women with endometriosis, the immune
system fails to find and destroy endometrial tissue growing outside of the
uterus.
Moreover, immune system disorders (health conditions
in which the body attacks and destroy itself) are more common in women with endometriosis.
- Genetic predisposition theory.
It is known that endometriosis runs in families.
If your mother or sister has
endometriosis, you are 6 times more likely to get the disease than other
women.
So, endometriosis may be caused by some genes.
- Root cell theory.
Certain cells were responsible for the growth of the women's
reproductive organs when she was an embryo.
These same cells are present within the abdomen in some women and retain their ability to become
endometrial cells.
Genetic or environmental influences in later life allow these cells to give
rise to endometrial tissue outside the uterus.
Some studies also show that environmental factors may play a role in the
development of endometriosis.
Toxins in the environment seem to affect reproductive hormones and immune
system responses.
Other researchers believe the endometrium itself is abnormal, which allows
the tissue to break away and attach elsewhere in the body.
Rarely, a medical problem that prevents the normal passage of
menstrual flow and increased endometriosis risk.
Still another theory speculates that damage to cells that line the pelvis by
a previous infection can lead to endometriosis.
More research in this area may help doctors better understand and treat
endometriosis.
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