How Rare is Endosalpingiosis?

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Image by/from Nephron

How rare is endosalpingiosis when endometriosis is already kind of rare?  Well, it may be quite common and is also underdiagnosed and can also cause pain.  Endosalpingiosis is really a syndrome in which Fallopian tube-like tissue is located external to the Fallopian tube.

It is a puzzle what actually causes this problem, just like the other “endo” or endometriosis. It’s generally recognized the condition develops from transformation of something called coelomic tissue. It’s frequently an incidental finding after surgery for some other reason and isn’t usually connected with any pathology.  But it CAN be! 

The clinical impact of endosalpingiosis, which means does it cause symptoms or not,  isn’t settled by medical professionals.  They differ on if the condition itself causes issues or whether it’s an asymptomatic finding. Common signs and symptoms include pelvic discomfort, infertility, menstrual irregularities and dyspareunia or painful intercourse. Further reports suggest chronic back discomfort like a common issue reported years before diagnosis. Experts are unclear because the condition is an uncommon finding and insufficient understanding is a problem, just like that with endometriosis.

Very much similar to the ectopic uterine endometrium of Endometriosis, estrogen may cause endosalpingiosis tissues external to the Fallopian tubes to develop and potentially aggravate and inflame the nearby areas.  Inflammation causes pain.  High levels of estrogen make the glandular tissues grow and multiply and, particularly important, they cause the amount of and activity of ciliated epithelial cells (that will normally line the fallopian tubes) to grow out of proportion to the area the growth or nodule is one.

Endosalpingiosis can’t be diagnosed with scans, or blood tests. It is diagnosed using a pathologist on excision (e.g. biopsy).

A tubal-type epithelium encircled by endometrial-type stroma is really a variant of endometriosis, not endosalpingiosis.  So there is some overlap with the other “endo” or endometriosis. 

Endosalpingiosis is from time to time present in lymph nodes, just like endometriosis, and could be misinterpreted as being an adenocarcinoma metastasis.  This can be a scary finding but there are a lot of molecular tools to tell the difference. 

Because endosalpingiosis, generally, isn’t considered a pathologic condition, treatment isn’t necessarily required. However treating other issues brought on by this problem, for example cysts on ovaries, chocolate cysts (endometrioma), fertility issues, pelvic discomfort, adhesions, dyspareunia (painful sex) might need to be addressed with respect to the situation. It can be the cause of many problems just like endometriosis. 

Much like endometriosis, implantation and growth of endosalpingiosis on other organs (like bowel) can create quite a lot of discomfort.  This may be treatable with excision surgery with a specialist, though this isn’t a total remedy. Elimination of the tissues, cysts, and adhesions will generally help reduce signs and symptoms.  Some surgeons believe additional therapy with progesterone also to be useful in lessening signs and symptoms.

Nutritional and toxic xeno-estrogen can wreak havoc in highly sensitive cases, and similar to endometriosis women ought to eat diets lower in estrogens. What this means is staying away from foods like soy, black licorice, and tofu, to mention a couple of things.

But that’s not all.  Pay attention to your microbiome which helps get rid of excess estrogen.  So take probiotics.  Also, taking seaweed can help reduce excess estrogen in your body.   This is proven and non-toxic.  

Just like with endometriosis, endosalpingiosis may be your problem and you don’t know it.  All you know is the pain that has not been diagnosed properly, let alone treated.  Well, going to an expert in the area is critical. That expert may or may not be a general gynecologist, who does not treat women with endo very much.  Endometriosis specialists (who can also take care of endosalpingiosis) exist and it starts with finding a good minimally invasive endo-excision surgeon.  

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“I help and guide women to beat endometriosis and gynecologic cancers that are associated with endo, like ovarian cancer, using a unique combination of minimally invasive robotic surgery, precision medicine therapies and complementary holistic natural support towards thriving in survivorship." Dr. Vasilev is the only physician triple board certified in Ob-Gyn, Gynecologic Oncology and Integrative & Holistic Medicine in the United States. He is an accomplished advanced robotic master surgeon, and is internationally vetted by iCareBetter (https://icarebetter.com/doctor/dr-steven-vasilev/). He serves as Professor at the world-renowned Saint John's Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California and is Clinical Professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. He is former faculty and professor at UC Irvine, UCLA, USC and City of Hope and was the founding Medical Director of Integrative Medicine at Providence Saint John's Health Center. He is an active member of multiple medical societies and has been nationally listed in "Best Doctors" for over 20 years.