The key difference between endometrioma and endometriosis is that endometrioma is a cyst that forms when tissue from the lining of the uterus grows in the ovaries while endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
The uterus of a woman is lined with endometrial tissue. This lining is called endometrium. There are different conditions associated with endometrium. Endometrioma and endometriosis are two associated conditions. This is because endometriomas are cystic lesions that stem from the disease process of endometriosis. Moreover, both these conditions are only observed in women. The presence of endometrioma also indicates a more severe stage of endometriosis.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Endometrioma
3. What is Endometriosis
4. Similarities – Endometrioma and Endometriosis
5. Endometrioma vs. Endometriosis in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Endometrioma and Endometriosis
7. Summary – Endometrioma vs. Endometriosis
What is Endometrioma?
Endometrioma is a cyst that forms from the disease process of endometriosis. It is most commonly found in the ovaries. Endometrioma is also known as chocolate cysts. This is because it is filled with dark color menstrual blood. The exact cause of this condition is still not known. However, researchers believe that it is due to retrograde menstruation. The symptoms of endometrioma are painful periods, pelvic pain, irregular periods, heavy periods, and pain during sexual intercourse. The complications resulting from this condition may include infertility, ovarian cancer, blockage of the urinary tract or bowel, chronic pelvic pain, ovarian torsion, pain with fever and vomiting, sudden, severe abdominal pain, faintness, dizziness or weakness, rapid breathing and bleeding.
Figure 01: Endometrioma
Endometrioma can be diagnosed through pelvic examination and ultrasound. Furthermore, treatment options for endometrioma may include giving birth control medications (hormone progesterone and estrogen), surgeries like cystectomy, and complementary therapy (acupuncture, Chinese medicine, vitamins, and dietary supplements).
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a painful condition due to the growth of tissue (similar to the inner lining of the uterus) outside the uterus, such as ovaries, fallopian tubes, and tissue lining of the pelvis. Moreover, the common symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods, pain with sex, pain with bowel movements or urination, excessive bleeding, infertility, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and nausea. The possible causes of endometriosis are retrograde menstruation, transformed peritoneal cells, embryonic cell changes, surgical scar complications, endometrial cell transport, and immune system conditions. The complications occurring due to endometriosis include infertility and ovarian cancer.
Endometriosis can be diagnosed through pelvic examination, ultrasound, MRI, and laparoscopy. Furthermore, treatment options for endometriosis may include hormone therapy (hormonal contraceptives, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, progestin therapy, aromatase inhibitors), and conservative surgery to remove endometriosis tissue.
What are the Similarities Between Endometrioma and Endometriosis?
- Endometrioma and endometriosis are two associated conditions.
- Endometrioma is a cystic lesion that stems from the disease process of endometriosis.
- Both these conditions are only observed in women.
- They can be diagnosed through pelvic examination and ultrasound.
- They are treated through hormone therapy and respective surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Endometrioma and Endometriosis?
Endometrioma is a cyst that forms when tissue from the lining of the uterus grows in the ovaries, while endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. Thus, this is the key difference between endometrioma and endometriosis. Furthermore, endometrioma most commonly affects the ovaries, while endometriosis mainly affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and tissue lining of the pelvis.
The infographic below presents the differences between endometrioma and endometriosis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Endometrioma and Endometriosis
Can you have an endometrioma without endometriosis?
Studies show that those with endometriosis in other parts of the body are also more likely to develop endometriomas as well.
What happens if you don’t remove endometrioma?
The pain and other symptoms will not go away if you don’t remove the endometrioma. Moreover, it can cause complications like infertility.
What are the symptoms of endometriosis?
Fatigue, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during periods, are the symptoms of endometriosis.
Summary – Endometrioma vs. Endometriosis
Endometrioma and endometriosis are two associated conditions. This is because endometrioma happens during the disease process of endometriosis in women. Therefore, endometrioma is a cyst that forms when tissue from the lining of the uterus grows in the ovaries. On the other hand, endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. So, this summarizes the difference between endometrioma and endometriosis.
Reference:
1. “Endometriosis.” World Health Organization.
2. “Endometrioma.” StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Figure 3 in Functioning Endometrium and Endometrioma in a Patient with Mayer-Rokitanski-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome published in Japanese Clinical Medicine” By Libertas Academica (CC BY 2.0 DEED) via Flickr
2. “Endometriosis” By Vega asensio – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia