Signs & Symptoms of Endometriosis in the Brain

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that is normally confined to a woman's uterus grows elsewhere in the body. It is most common in the ovaries, fallopian tubes and pelvis, but in rare cases it has moved to other parts of the body. Among the rarest is cerebral endometriosis, or endometriosis in the brain.

• Doctors can diagnose endometriosis of the brain with an MRI scan.

What It Does

• When the endometrium, the tissue that lines the uterus, grows elsewhere in the body, it still behaves as if it's still in the uterus. According to the Mayo Clinic, the tissue follows a normal menstrual cycle---it thickens, thins out and bleeds every month. The blood becomes trapped and causes irritation to nearby tissue. Endometriosis also can cause pain, cysts, scar tissue and adhesions, or tissues that cause organs to stick together.

Symptoms Of Common Endometriosis

• Endometriosis sometimes produces no symptoms. When it does, they often coincide with the patient's menstrual cycle. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of endometriosis include pelvic pain before, during and after menstruation, excessive bleeding and infertility.

Symptoms Of Cerebral Endometriosis

• According to a 2003 article in the American Journal of Roentgenology, endometriosis in the brain can occur without symptoms related to menstruation. Patients mentioned in the article reported having regular headaches, as well as seizures and a disturbance in gait (the way a person moves around on foot).

Diagnosis

• Endometriosis of the brain shows up on a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. According to the AJR article, the best chance of diagnosing endometriosis of the brain lies with an observant radiologist who sees unusual dark shading in the scan results and then passes the case to a skilled diagnostician.

Treatment

• Doctors treat common endometriosis with pain medication, hormone therapy and laproscopic surgery. Severe endometriosis may require a hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus. Doctors treated the cerebral endometriosis patient featured in the AJR article with surgery.