Women having surgery for endometriosis face a lot of uncertainty about what will be found. Unfortunately, many imaging technologies don’t accurately depict endometriosis. CT and ultrasound generally only detect ovarian cysts caused by endometriosis, but don’t show the lesions themselves. Many times, doctors must perform surgery to make a diagnosis.

Things may be changing. Published in the online edition of Radiology, a new study on using MRI to detect deep endometriosis shows promise. With an MRI, radiologists might be able to not only diagnose deep endometriosis, but also accurately locate lesions before to surgery. Deep endometriosis requires surgical excision.

The researchers, from the Department of Radiology at Erasme Hospital and the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium, studied 41 women. Participants were aged 20-46, and doctors suspected they had endometriosis. MRI was performed before surgery.

Results: MRI accurately diagnosed 26 of 27 cases of deep endometriosis, including specific locations of deep endometrial lesions. MRI also accurately depicted the degree of colon wall invasion.

“Pelvic MRI at 3 Tesla is a noninvasive technique that allows a complete examination of the pelvis. It accurately depicts all locations of deep endometriosis,” noted the study’s lead author, Nathalie Hottat, M.D.

On a personal note, I can certainly see the value of MRI for diagnosis and more accurate detection of endometriosis. Obtaining a diagnosis before surgery can greatly reduce anxiety and perhaps generate a referral to a surgeon who specializes in endometriosis. As someone who went into surgery only aware that there were large masses in my ovaries (from CT), I certainly would have appreciated knowing beforehand what I was dealing with. I would have had much less anxiety knowing my condition wasn’t life threatening, and I would have sought out a surgeon who specializes in the illness. It might have saved me the trouble of subsequent surgeries with a different doctor.

If you suspect you suffer from endometriosis, ask your doctor about an MRI before surgery. Even if you know you have the disorder, an MRI could give your doctor valuable information for planning which type of surgery will be most appropriate for you.

(Image via flickr)

Mariska Hargitay, the daughter of the beautiful Jane Mansfield, has talked about her recent diagnosis of a collapsed lung in the latest issue of Redbook. I think every woman can relate when she says she first ignored the pain. I wonder how many of us do that? It’s like we feel like we’re “whining” if we complain about our aches and pains.

But Mariska’s story is another reminder that we need to pay attention to our bodies. She said she was doing a stunt on the set of Law and Order, and even using a crash pad. When she hit the pad, she instantly knew something was wrong but shook it off as just having the wind knocked out of her.

Three months later, she still didn’t feel any better. She began to get a stabbing pain, and when she finally went in to have it looked at, found that her lung had been 50% collapsed. She had surgery but just a few short months after that, she felt the pain again. This time she went in right away, and again, her lung had collapsed.

Mariska’s story is scary, but also a reminder that medical help is available. We just have to make sure we pay attention to our bodies and go in when something doesn’t feel right.

Image: Zuma Press

Improved pain relief after a Caesarean section can help moms bond with their babies and begin breastfeeding more quickly, notes Anthony Bamigboye, lead researcher of a new study by Cochrane Researchers.

The study, a review of 20 studies involving 1,150 women, found that women who were treated with local anaesthetic (in addition to general or regional anaesthetics) didn’t require as much morphine or other opioid drugs for pain after Caesarean sections.

The anaesthetic was either injected into the abdominal wall or applied to the wound as a solution. “This review is particularly important in light of the growing number of women giving birth by Caesarean section,” said Bamigboye of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. A quarter of all births in the UK, US and Canada involve Caesarean sections.

Researchers explain that a cost benefit analysis should be performed to see if the reduction in painkillers taken can offset the added cost of the local anaesthetic.

If you’re planning on a Caesarean section, or think it may be in the cards, ask your doctor about receiving a local anaesthetic. It probably couldn’t hurt.

(Image via flickr)

Many women I know like to tailor their diet around fitness. They want to eat foods that will not only sustain their energy for the day, but also be good to their bodies so they can work out and stay in shape. If you’re looking for foods that will help your bones and muscles, here are a few of them.

Surprisingly, pineapple and papaya are great for providing “anti-inflammatory properties” that help your muscles recover after a workout.

We’ve already heard that salmon is great for your brain function, but one source says research showed that people who consumed fish oil “had lower heart rates and consumed less oxygen during intense bicycling.” Seems like salmon is a good bet all the way around for great health!

I absolutely love peanut butter, and find that a small amount helps stave off afternoon hunger. It’s also good for muscles since it’s loaded with protein. The serving size in the key here, just a couple tablespoons does the trick.

The biggest surprise to me was the mention of chocolate milk. Yes! It’s good for hydrating the body (better than sports drinks) and the chocolate helps milk have “the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat for speedy muscle recovery.” Plus it’s yummy.

Image: sxc.hu.

Comparable benefits and fewer side effects sound good to me. Some treatments for endometriosis can be rather harsh. The toughest one that comes to mind is Lupron. Other women choose to take birth control pills after laparoscopic surgery to help manage symptoms and prevent the need for more surgery down the road.

A new study by the Complementary Medicine Research Unit at the University of Southampton in the UK found that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) might relieve symptoms of endometriosis.

A total of 158 women participated in two trials of CHM for treatment of endometriosis. It was the first English-language systematic review of CHM for treating the disease.

Findings:

• CHM provided relief similar to that provided by the drug gestrinone, but with fewer side effects.
• CHM was more effective than the drug danazol, and also resulted in fewer side effects. (Both gestrinone and danazol are hormonal drugs.)

“These findings suggest that Chinese herbs may be just as effective as certain conventional drug treatments for women suffering from endometriosis, but at present we don’t have enough evidence to generalize the results,” said lead researcher Andrew Flower.

Perhaps more research evidence will materialize in the future, giving medical doctors courage to prescribe herbs for treatment of endometriosis.

(Image via flickr)

According to a newly published report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), almost 70% of women who are eligible for breast reconstruction procedures aren’t informed of the options available to them. During breast reconstruction procedures, surgeons attempt to restore near normal shape, appearance and size after mastectomy.

Many plastic surgeons believe that the conversation about breast reconstruction should start as soon as a breast cancer diagnosis is made. That would enable the plastic surgeon to be part of the initial team of doctors and possibly ensure a better treatment plan.

More than 79,000 breast reconstruction procedures were performed in 2008. That’s a 39% increase from 2007. However, plastic surgeons note that research indicates breast cancer patients may be missing out on a crucial conversation on breast reconstruction that should take place at the time of diagnosis.

“Our goal is to make sure that those women who are not getting breast reconstruction are doing so of their own accord and not because they are uneducated or uninformed about their options,” said ASPS President John Canady, MD.

Do you believe that a conversation about breast reconstruction should begin immediately after a breast cancer diagnosis?

(Image via flickr)

GlaxoSmithKline’s product to help protect against cervical cancer, called Cervarix, shows that it works against five common cervical cancer-causing viruses. There are two common types of cervical cancer, and three less common types.

Cervarix offered “11 to 16 percent extra protection against cervical cancer over and above the protection afforded by efficacy against the two most common types alone.” Research indicates that this is the first time protection has been shown against “pre-cancerous lesions not containing the two most common virus types.”

This is good news for cervical cancer research. Cervarix is approved in 90 countries, but has yet to be approved in the United States.

Image: sxc.hu.

You’d be surprised at the reasons why you might have body odor. When I think of body order, or as it’s usually called, b.o., I naturally picture a person who doesn’t bathe and is constantly sweaty. But body odor can take place even if you’re a regular bather. Granted, it isn’t the same stank that comprises traditional “b.o.” but it is enough that you’ll emit an odor.

If you bathe and don’t towel off properly, you could develop an odor problem. To avoid this, make sure you towel off thoroughly, even in folds of skin that may be under breasts or in “love handles.” If you don’t, bacteria can grow in these spots because they generally don’t get exposed to air like other areas of the body. You may also want to use a hairdryer (set on the cool setting) on certain spots to make sure the area is dry.

Image: sxc.hu.

Advertisements for food on television can trigger mindless eating of available foods. Automatic or mindless eating occurs when you’re not hungry, and may be a big contributor to obesity.

Yale University researchers conducted several experiments testing the effects of food commercials seen on television. They found that both children and adults eat more when food commercials are aired. Adults were particularly prone to consume more food when they saw commercials for unhealthy food.

Researchers noted that in some cases the snacking observed while watching television with food commercials could lead to a weight gain of up to 10 pounds per year if not countered by increased activity. The study was published in the July issue of the journal Health Psychology.

This makes me wonder: What about watching cooking shows? Do they make you eat more? I suppose those studies are yet to be conducted.

Do you feel that food commercials cause you to engage in mindless eating?

(Image via stock.xchng)

Assisted dying isn’t the same thing as euthanasia, although the two are often linked hand in hand. The practice of euthanasia is someone actively choosing to end someone else’s life for a particular reason. This could be because the person is terminally ill so another person puts the death into motion or it could be someone killing another person who has a disability or illness. In other words, the death is brought on by someone else’s hands and someone else’s decisions.

Assisted dying, on the other hand, is helping someone who has chosen to die - to die. In other words, assisted suicide. However, since suicide is technically illegal in most places, assisting in a suicide is also illegal. That’s why there’s been a push in many countries to allow people to assist someone who wants to die.

In the United Kingdom, this issue has come up again. Right now, in Britain, people have been going out of the country to die and those who are helping them leave the country are considered to be assisting them in dying. These “helpers” could be prosecuted (BBC: Assisted dying law to be debated).

Is prosecuting someone for helping a loved one leave the country to die where it is allowed going too far? After all, helping make arrangements to leave the country, from finding a place to go to arranging transport takes much more forethought and planning than helping someone commit suicide in their own home.

What do you think?

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Image: MorgueFile.com