March is Endometriosis Awareness Month!

Endometriosis facts & info to share and raise awareness during the month of March!

What is endometriosis (en-doh-mee-tree-OH-suhs)?

Endometriosis is a common health problem in women. It gets its name from the word, endometrium (en-doh-MEE-tree-um), the tissue that lines the uterus or womb. Endometriosis occurs when this tissue grows outside of the uterus on other organs or structures in the body.

Most often, endometriosis is found on the:

• Ovaries
• Fallopian tubes
• Tissues that hold the uterus in place
• Outer surface of the uterus
• Lining of the pelvic cavity

Other sites for growths can include the vagina, cervix, vulva, bowel, bladder, or rectum. In rare cases, endometriosis has been found in other parts of the body, such as the lungs, brain, and skin.

What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, or the lower back, mainly during menstrual periods. The amount of pain a woman feels does not depend on how much endometriosis she has. Some women have no pain, even though their disease affects large areas. Other women with endometriosis have severe pain even though they have only a few small growths.
Symptoms of endometriosis can include:

• Very painful menstrual cramps; pain may get worse over time
• Chronic pain in the lower back and pelvis
• Pain during or after sex
• Intestinal pain
• Painful bowel movements or painful urination during menstrual periods
• Spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods
• Infertility or not being able to get pregnant
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods

Recent research shows a link between other health problems in women with endometriosis and their families. Some of these include:

• Allergies, asthma, and chemical sensitivities
• Autoimmune diseases, in which the body’s system that fights illness attacks itself instead. These can includehypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia
• Being more likely to get infections and mononucleosis (ma-no-nu-klee-OH-suhs)
• Mitral valve prolapse, a condition in which one of the heart's valves does not close as tightly as normal
• Frequent yeast infections
• Certain cancers, such as ovarian, breast, endocrine, kidney, thyroid, brain, and colon cancers, and melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Why does endometriosis cause pain and health problems?

Growths of endometriosis are benign (not cancerous). But they still can cause many problems. To see why, it helps to understand a woman's menstrual cycle. Every month, hormones cause the lining of a woman's uterus to build up with tissue and blood vessels. If a woman does not get pregnant, the uterus sheds this tissue and blood. It comes out of the body through the vagina as her menstrual period.

Patches of endometriosis also respond to the hormones produced during the menstrual cycle. With the passage of time, the growths of endometriosis may expand by adding extra tissue and blood. The symptoms of endometriosis often get worse.

Tissue and blood that is shed into the body can cause inflammation, scar tissue, and pain. As endometrial tissue grows, it can cover or grow into the ovaries and block the fallopian tubes. Trapped blood in the ovaries can form cysts, or closed sacs. It also can cause inflammation and cause the body to form scar tissue and adhesions, tissue that sometimes binds organs together. This scar tissue may cause pelvic pain and make it hard for women to get pregnant. The growths can also cause problems in the intestines and bladder.

Who gets endometriosis?

More than five million women in the United States have endometriosis. It is one of the most common health problems for women. It can occur in any teen or woman who has menstrual periods, but it is most common in women in their 30s and 40s.

The symptoms of endometriosis stop for a time during pregnancy. Symptoms also tend to decrease with menopause, when menstrual periods end for good. In some cases, women who take menopausal hormone therapy may still have symptoms of endometriosis.

What can raise my chances of getting endometriosis?

You might be more likely to get endometriosis if you have:

• Never had children
• Menstrual periods that last more than seven days
• Short menstrual cycles (27 days or less)
• A family member (mother, aunt, sister) with endometriosis
• A health problem that prevents normal passage of menstrual blood flow
• Damage to cells in the pelvis from an infection

How can I reduce my chances of getting endometriosis?

There are no definite ways to lower your chances of getting endometriosis. Yet, since the hormone estrogen is involved in thickening the lining of the uterus during the menstrual cycle, you can try to lower levels of estrogen in your body.
To keep lower estrogen levels in your body, you can:

• Exercise regularly
• Keep a low amount of body fat
• Avoid large amounts of alcohol and drinks with caffeine

Why is it important to find out if I have endometriosis?

The pain of endometriosis can interfere with your life. Studies show that women with endometriosis often skip school, work, and social events. This health problem can also get in the way of relationships with your partner, friends, children, and co-workers. Plus, endometriosis can make it hard for you to get pregnant.
Finding out that you have endometriosis is the first step in taking back your life. Many treatments can control the symptoms. Medicine can relieve your pain. When endometriosis causes fertility problems, surgery can boost your chances of getting pregnant.

How do I know that I have endometriosis?

If you have symptoms of this disease, talk with your doctor or your obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN). An OB/GYN has special training to diagnose and treat this condition. Sometimes endometriosis is mistaken for other health problems that cause pelvic pain and the exact cause might be hard to pinpoint.

The doctor will talk to you about your symptoms and health history. The doctor may also do these tests to check for clues of endometriosis:

Pelvic exam. Your doctor will perform a pelvic exam to feel for large cysts or scars behind your uterus. Smaller areas of endometriosis are hard to feel.

Ultrasound. Your doctor could perform an ultrasound, an imaging test to see if there are ovarian cysts from endometriosis. During a vaginal ultrasound, the doctor will insert a wand-shaped scanner into your vagina. During an ultrasound of your pelvis, a scanner is moved across your abdomen. Both tests use sound waves to make pictures of your reproductive organs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is another common imaging test that can produce a picture of the inside of your body.

Laparoscopy (lap-ar-OS-ko-pee). The only way for your doctor to know for sure that you have endometriosis is to look inside your abdomen to see endometriosis tissue. He or she can do this through a minor surgery called laparoscopy. You will receive general anesthesia before the surgery. 

Then, your abdomen is expanded with a gas to make it easy to see your organs. A tiny cut is made in your abdomen and a thin tube with a light is placed inside to see growths from endometriosis. Sometimes doctors can diagnose endometriosis just by seeing the growths. Other times, they need to take a small sample of tissue and study it under a microscope.

If your doctor does not find signs of an ovarian cyst during an ultrasound, before doing a laparoscopy, your doctor may prescribe birth control pills to control your menstrual cycle. Sometimes this treatment helps lessen pelvic pain during your period. Some doctors may offer another treatment that blocks the menstrual cycle and lowers the amount of estrogen your body makes before doing a laparoscopy. This treatment is a medicine called a gonadotropin (go-na-doh-TRO-pen) releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, which also may help pelvic pain. If your pain improves on this medicine, the doctor will likely think that you have endometriosis.

Laparoscopy is often recommended for diagnosis and treatment if the pelvic pain persists, even after taking birth controlpills and pain medicine.

What causes endometriosis?

No one knows for sure what causes this disease, but experts have a number of theories:

• Since endometriosis runs in families, it may be carried in the genes, or some families have traits that make them more likely to get it.
• Endometrial tissue may move from the uterus to other body parts through the blood system or lymph system.
• If a woman has a faulty immune system it will fail to find and destroy endometrial tissue growing outside of the uterus. Recent research shows that immune system disorders and certain cancers are more common in women with endometriosis.
• The hormone estrogen appears to promote the growth of endometriosis. So, some research is looking at whether it is a disease of the endocrine system, the body’s system of glands, hormones, and other secretions.
• Endometrial tissue has been found in abdominal scars and might have been moved there by mistake during a surgery.
• Small amounts of tissue from when a woman was an embryo might later become endometriosis.
• New research shows a link between dioxin exposure and getting endometriosis. Dioxin is a toxic chemical from the making of pesticides and the burning of wastes. More research is needed to find out whether man-made chemicals cause endometriosis.
• Endometrial tissue may back up into the abdomen through the fallopian tubes during a woman's monthly period. This transplanted tissue could grow outside of the uterus. However, most experts agree that this theory does not entirely explain why endometriosis develops.

How is endometriosis treated?

There is no cure for endometriosis, but there are many treatments for the pain and infertility that it causes. Talk with your doctor about what option is best for you. The treatment you choose will depend on your symptoms, age, and plans for getting pregnant.
Pain medication. For some women with mild symptoms, doctors may suggest taking over-the-counter medicines for pain. These include ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). When these medicines don't help, doctors may prescribe stronger pain relievers.
Hormone treatment. When pain medicine is not enough, doctors often recommend hormone medicines to treat endometriosis. Only women who do not wish to become pregnant can use these drugs. Hormone treatment is best for women with small growths who do not have bad pain. Hormones come in many forms including pills, shots, and nasal sprays. Common hormones used for endometriosis include:

• Birth control pills to decrease the amount of menstrual flow and prevent overgrowth of tissue that lines the uterus. Most birth control pills contain two hormones, estrogen and progestin. Once a woman stops taking them, she can get pregnant again. Stopping these pills will cause the symptoms of endometriosis to return.
• GnRH agonists and antagonists greatly reduce the amount of estrogen in a woman's body, which stops the menstrual cycle. These drugs should not be used alone because they can cause side effects similar to those during menopause, such as hot flashes, bone loss, and vaginal dryness. Taking a low dose of progestin or estrogen along with these drugs can protect against these side effects. When a woman stops taking this medicine, monthly periods and the ability to get pregnant return. She also might stay free of the problems of endometriosis for months or years afterward.
• Progestins. The hormone progestin can shrink spots of endometriosis by working against the effects of estrogen on the tissue. It will stop a woman’s menstrual periods, but can cause irregular vaginal bleeding. Medroxyprogesterone (muh-DROKS-ee-proh-JESS-tur-ohn) (Depo-Provera) is a common progestin taken as a shot. Side effects of progestin can include weight gain, depressed mood, and decreased bone growth.
• Danazol (DAY-nuh-zawl) is a weak male hormone that lowers the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman's body. This stops a woman's period or makes it come less often. It is not often the first choice for treatment due to its side effects, such as oily skin, weight gain, tiredness, smaller breasts, and facial hair growth. It does not prevent pregnancy and can harm a baby growing in the uterus. It also cannot be used with other hormones, such as birth control pills.

Surgery. Surgery is usually the best choice for women with severe endometriosis — many growths, a great deal of pain, or fertility problems. There are both minor and more complex surgeries that can help. Your doctor might suggest one of the following:

• Laparoscopy can be used to diagnose and treat endometriosis. During this surgery, doctors remove growths and scar tissue or burn them away. The goal is to treat the endometriosis without harming the healthy tissue around it. Women recover from laparoscopy much faster than from major abdominal surgery.
• Laparotomy (lap-ar-AW-tuh-mee) or major abdominal surgery that involves a much larger cut in the abdomen than with laparoscopy. This allows the doctor to reach and remove growths of endometriosis in the pelvis or abdomen.
• Hysterectomy (his-tur-EK-toh-mee) is a surgery in which the doctor removes the uterus. Removing the ovaries as well can help ensure that endometriosis will not return. This is done when the endometriosis has severely damaged these organs. A woman cannot get pregnant after this surgery, so it should only be considered as a last resort.

How do I cope with a disease that has no cure?

You may feel many emotions — sadness, fright, anger, confusion, and loneliness. It is important to get support to cope with endometriosis. Consider joining a support group to talk with other women who have endometriosis. There are support groups on the Internet and in many communities.
It is also important to learn as much as you can about the disease. Talking with friends, family, and your doctor can help.

More information on endometriosis

For more information about endometriosis, call womenshealth.gov at 800-994-9662 (TDD: 888-220-5446) or contact the following organizations:

• Endometriosis Association
  Phone: 414-355-2200
• Endometriosis Research Center
  Phone: 561-274-7442
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  Phone: 800-370-2943
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  Phone: 202-638-5577; 202-863-2518 (for publication requests only)

Source:  http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.cfm

Mattel introduces bald doll for patients with hair loss.

A new doll for kids is creating controversy and it's not even in stores.

The Mattel has added to Barbie's list of friends with a doll named Ella. Ella, though, will only be available to certain children.

Children's hospitals all over the country can order Ella to give to their patients. 

 The doll has been specially made by Mattel after a national campaign convinced the company to create a bald doll, so kids with cancer or other kinds of hair loss would have someone that looks like them.

Sixteen-year-old Olivia Rusk wishes she would have had a doll like Ella growing up. Rusk has a condition called alopecia, which has left her bald since grade school. Rusk knows what its like to look different from the other kids.

"I just wanted to feel like I was normal," said Rusk about growing up without hair. "I never had a point where I was upset by it, but there was still that doubt in my mind, like should I not be wearing a wig."

Rusk said she's happy other kids without hair will now have a doll that looks like them.

"It's showing that our society's trying to change, because our society's so, like, 'This is how you need to look'," said Rusk.

Rusk's enthusiasm for Ella has been tempered, however, because of how the doll comes packaged. She's not bald at all, but wearing a wig.

"I'm honestly disappointed, just because I feel like it doesn't really show the message that being different is okay," explained Rusk. "I definitely feel like Mattel missed the mark."

Rusk isn't the only one. Dozens of people have expressed the same concerns on a blog called "Alopecia World." The blog offers support to people living with alopecia.

Even the National Alopecia Areata Foundation notes on its website, "NAAF was not involved in any way in the development or packaging of the Ella doll. Mattel made the determination that Ella would be wearing her wig in the packaging."

Ella's not going to be for sale, either, in toy stores or online. Just more evidence, said Rusk, that Mattel missed the boat when creating Ella.

"If you're going to just give it to kids that need it, I mean, sure they'll have it and it will be for support, but everyone else who needs to know that being different is okay, they're not going to get the message," explained Rusk.

Rusk said she even questions why Mattel decided Barbie's friend should be the bald one, instead of Barbie.

"Why can't Barbie be bald? I mean, there's nothing wrong with being bald or being different in any way," Rusk asked.

With Barbie's tremendous following and popularity, Rusk said Barbie would have been the better choice to deliver such a message.

A Mattel company spokesperson issued the following statement about Ella:

"Ella, Friend of Barbie, includes wigs, hats, scarves and other fashion accessories to provide girls with a traditional fashion play experience. For those girls who choose, the wigs and head coverings can be interchanged or completely removed. The doll is packaged wearing one of the wigs as an example of how girls can accessorize the doll.

"Ella Friend of Barbie, will be distributed exclusively to children's hospitals and other hospitals treating children with cancer throughout the U.S. and Canada, directly reaching girls who are most affected by hair loss and will not be available through any retail outlet.

"Mattel made the decision not to sell these dolls at retail stores and profit from them, but rather more directly and immediately get these into the hands of children who can most benefit from a play experience with these dolls. This decision demonstrates Mattel's commitment to encourage play as a respite for children in the hospital and bring joy to children in need.

"The dolls will be donated in the U.S. and Canada through the Children's Hospital Association, with whom Mattel has a long standing relationship, as well as through CureSearch for Children's Cancer. Dolls will also be donated to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. The dolls will be ready for donation and distribution by the end of January. Mattel will work with its subsidiaries in its international markets and will offer small quantities for donation as appropriate."
Source: http://www.wthr.com/story/21192583/mattel-introduces-bald-doll-exclusively-for-patients-with-hair-loss

Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness 2013!

Endometriosis Awareness Month is right around the corner!

A group of bloggers and myself would love for you to join in with us to help spread education and awareness regarding endometriosis! With 5.5 million women in North America alone being affected, there is a good chance that you know someone battling this often unrelenting disease.

To kick the month off, March 1st will be Yellow Shirt Day so sport your yellow loud & proud and we will kick off the month with a link of you lovely readers sporting your yellow! We would love to see social media turn yellow!

The Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness campaign runs throughout the month of March and provides an opportunity to share your journey with others and offer and receive some support and encouragement for fellow endo-sisters! Each week there is a different topic that discusses the various ways endometriosis impacts our lives. We all know that the physical aspects of the disease is just on facet of life and it impacts our lives emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

Here is a schedule of the topics:

Week of March 4th: Physical impact that endometriosis has had on your life
Week of March 11th: Mental impact that endo has had on your life.
Week of March 18th: Social impact that endo has had on your life.
Week of March 25th: Your favorite things/tips/coping tools that have helped you stay encouraged in spite of illness (suggestions: endo survival kit, advice for newly diagnosed, top 10 most annoying things you can say to someone with endo, etc)

You can post any time during the week and link up your posts here but don’t feel trapped with the list of topics. If you feel lead to share another post related to endometriosis awareness, please do so! This list of topics is just a general guideline! I hope having a list of topics provides enough inspiration to get writing but still be broad enough to allow for your creativity to let loose!

Another idea for the awareness campaign is to have friends and family members write guest posts for your blog so that we can include the stories and experiences of caregivers and loved ones! Chronic illness is obviously very difficult on the patient but also has a big impact on caregivers and loved ones and sometimes their voice gets lost. When I stop and put myself in my husband’s shoes I cannot imagine having to watch your spouse go into surgery not only once but often multiple times as well as having to watch them have pain and not being able to do anything about it. My husband is type 1 diabetic and it shatters my heart to watch when he has a bad day so it really causes me to step back and think about the hurt and the frustration he must feel about my illnesses.

Some possible topics for guest posts include:

What impact has the disease had on your life?
What is it like watching your friend/loved one suffer?
How do you offer encouragement?
If you could give advice to a friend or family member who is just
beginning the road of supporting a friend or family member with endo, what would it be?
If you have been the main caregiver for someone suffering from endo, how do you make sure to care for yourself too so you stay health?

If you could understand more about endometriosis, what would you want to know?

Plans are in the works for at least one (hopefully two!) twitter chats as well as a couple giveaways! If you are a business owner or know someone who might be interested in donating for giveaways throughout the Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness 2013 campaign, please send me an email! All giveaway sponsors will be given free ad space throughout the duration of the campaign!

You can also grab the Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness 2013 button to the right for your sidebar or posts! You can also join in the Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness 2013 Facebook event! The more we can spread the yellow love the better! Join in the discussion on twitter using hashtag #bloggingforendo2013! You can also add a Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness Twibbon to your twitter and/or facebook profile and join the Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness 2013 Facebook event! Please check back for updates!

Source:  http://www.anewkindofnormal.com/chronic-illness/bloggingforendometriosis2013

Here's how Facebook helps you fight hackers

Facebook is taking steps to educate its members about how to stay safe online and help them prevent their accounts from becoming compromised. 

The social networking giant has started posting security tips at the top of each user's profile page, with links to information about different types of scams they are likely to see. 

The first tip, "Know how to spot a scam," outlines common ploys cybercrooks often use, including requests to "please send money," emails asking for your password and notices that someone else registered for an account using your email address. 

[6 Steps to Staying Safe on Social Networks]
The scam-spotting section also informs users on how to keep their accounts secure, with helpful advice such as, "Think before you click," and "never click suspicious links — even if they come from a friend or a company you know." 

In a short video accompanying the tips, a Facebook security engineer discusses the "free airline" and " valuable gift certificate offers," which he says you should immediately recognize as scams. He also mentions scams that promise to show you who viewed your profile, and said, "It's just not possible on Facebook." 

If you spot a scam, Facebook's "Take Action" tips show you exactly how to flag the offending post and block a user. 

Facebook's second tip is an important one: Choose a one-of-a-kind password, and never share it with anyone. A weak password is one of the top ways accounts are broken into and tampered with. 

Facebook also sending more visible and frequent prompts to members asking them to confirm their mobile phone number so, in the event of your account is hacked or you forget your password, Facebook can text you. 

(That's called "out-of-band authentication" -- confirmation of identity through a medium other than the Internet. This is more secure than emailing a new password -- if someone took control of your Facebook account, they might have control of your email as well -- but it's not foolproof.)

These are all basic security tips, but with nearly a billion members worldwide, they could go a long way in keeping users safe from the hordes of scams that pop up on the network every day.

Source:  http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/heres-how-facebook-helps-you-fight-hackers-830265