Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that normally lines your uterus grows outside of it. It’s one of the leading causes of infertility and pelvic pain, but there are many different types of endometriosis that all come with different symptoms. One type called deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) and it can make you feel seriously ill.
Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE).
Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is a type of endometriosis that can be difficult to diagnose and treat. The main symptoms are chronic pelvic pain, painful intercourse, and sometimes nausea or vomiting. DIE refers to the location where the disease has spread through your body—down into tissues around organs such as your bladder or intestines. This makes it difficult for doctors to detect and remove the tissue causing your pain because there isn’t an obvious lump that can be removed during surgery or biopsy like there would be with other types of endometrial growths like adenomyosis or cancerous tumors called sarcomas which may also cause similar symptoms but require different treatments than those used for DIE treatment options such as surgery (hysterectomy) followed by hormone therapy like birth control pills containing estrogen/progesterone combination therapy; anti-inflammatory medications
DIE is most often found in the lower pelvis, near the rectum.
DIE is most often found in the lower pelvis, near the rectum. Endometriosis can also be found in other areas of your pelvis and abdomen—in your vagina, bladder, ureters (tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder) or bowels. It can even affect organs outside of the reproductive system like your ovaries and tubes (fallopian tubes).
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It can also be found in the vagina, bladder, ureters, and bowels.
While endometriosis rarely affects the ovaries, it can also be found in the vagina, bladder, ureters and bowels. The bladder is a hollow organ that stores urine until it leaves through the urethra (the tube that drains urine from your bladder). The ureters are tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder. Bowel refers to any part of your digestive tract including the small intestine and colon (large intestine).
The uterus is an organ that holds a baby during pregnancy. It sits inside of the pelvis and has two parts: one called myometrium which is muscle tissue; another called endometrium which grows thick with blood every month during menstruation so you don’t get pregnant.
DIE is sometimes confused with another condition called deep infiltrating nodular endometriosis (DINE).
DIE and DINE are both types of endometriosis, so it’s easy to see why they get confused. DIE is less common than DINE and occurs when the endometriosis lesions are deeper in the tissue compared to their counterparts.
As you can imagine, this causes a lot of confusion since both forms of endometriosis can cause pain, infertility and other symptoms—but one form tends to be more severe than another. While symptoms vary from person to person, people with deep infiltrating endometrial disease tend to have more severe symptoms than those who suffer from superficial endometrial disease (which manifests itself on the surface of your uterus).
DINE may cause symptoms that come and go with your period.
The symptoms of DINE can be different from person to person. Some women have symptoms that come and go with their period, while others have more constant symptoms. Some women may have more severe or painful symptoms than they experienced before they were diagnosed with DINE.
DINE is not rare, as it’s estimated that 10% of women who have endometriosis also have DINES, making it an important condition to know about if you’re experiencing infertility or pelvic pain.
Download our 12-page free endometriosis self-care tracker down below:
With deep infiltrating endometriosis, your tissue grows into other organs and structures of your body. It can look like a thick tumor.
Deep infiltrating endometriosis is a rare type of endometriosis, but it’s more likely to cause severe symptoms than other types. Deep infiltrating endometriosis can look like a thick tumor under the skin or in the muscles and organs. It may also be found on your ovaries or fallopian tubes.
With deep infiltrating endometriosis, your tissue grows into other organs and structures of your body. It can look like a thick tumor on X-rays or ultrasounds, which are tests that use sound waves to make pictures of inside parts of the body.
This differs from superficial endometriosis, which looks more like thin red patches that grow on top of other structures in your body.
Superficial endometriosis, also called endometriosis implants, is the most common type of this disease. It’s red and raised and can have different shapes (such as a small piece of cotton or a grape). Often, superficial endometriosis is mistaken for hemorrhoids.
Deep infiltrating endometriosis looks very different from superficial disease. It causes pain because it invades other structures in your body—like your ovaries and intestines—and forms scar tissue that irritates these organs and nerves.
Less than half of people with endometriosis get symptoms that affect their day-to-day life. But if your symptoms are severe, they may interfere with your life and cause emotional distress.
If you have endometriosis, the symptoms may vary and they can be challenging. You might experience:
- painful periods that last longer than usual and are more severe than what other women experience
- heavy bleeding between periods or after menopause
- pain during or after sex
- infertility (trouble getting pregnant)
If your symptoms are affecting your day-to-day life, then it’s possible that you have deep infiltrating endometriosis.
Endometriosis is more complicated than many people think and it can be hard to diagnose.
If you have endometriosis, chances are you know it. The chronic pain and other symptoms associated with this condition can be very disruptive to your daily life. However, many people don’t realize that there is another form of endometriosis called deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE).
In addition to the signs and symptoms of classic endo that most people are familiar with—such as pain during periods and during sex, heavy periods or bleeding between periods—DIE causes other symptoms such as bowel problems and urinary issues. The severity of DIE’s complications varies from woman to woman; some women may experience only mild discomfort while others find their lives severely limited by severe abdominal pain that can lead to depression or suicide attempts.
Conclusion
DIE is a serious condition that can cause severe pain and infertility. If you have endometriosis, it’s important to talk with your doctor about your symptoms and treatment options.
Read more about Endometriosis here.