Psychosomatics of adenomyosis
Adenomyosis is when the lining of the womb grows into its muscle wall. It is more common after 35 and makes periods painful and heavy. Its cause is not fully known, and it is not your fault. The symptoms can be treated well, so a gynaecologist comes first. The Ladder method adds questions about how much pain you are used to bearing in silence, and it does not replace a doctor.
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When to see a doctor
A gynaecologist looks at adenomyosis. The doctor asks about your periods, examines you and orders an ultrasound, sometimes an MRI, to tell adenomyosis apart from fibroids, polyps and endometriosis. The diagnosis sometimes takes time, and that is normal. Treatment is chosen around your symptoms and plans for pregnancy.
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method adenomyosis is not explained as "you brought this on yourself" or "it comes from resentment". You are not to blame. A gynaecologist treats it, and treatment comes first. Questions to yourself belong next to treatment, not instead of it.
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In the method the womb fits the image of "your own space": how much room there is in your life for you, how much pain and tiredness you are used to bearing without telling anyone. Many women treat severe period pain as normal for years and never see a doctor. It is an image, not the cause, and it does not replace treatment.
On the ladder this shows up as the steps "I will put up with it, it is normal" and "I am not allowed to stop". You can work through them at your own pace alongside treatment.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
More: signs, medicine, sources, questions
How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- Severe pain during periods
- Heavy periods
- Pain low in the tummy on different days of the cycle
- Bloating and heaviness in the tummy
- Pain during or after sex
- Difficulty getting pregnant
What medicine knows
The NHS says adenomyosis is where the lining of the womb starts growing into the muscle in the wall of the womb. It is more common in women over 35, but anyone who has periods can have it.
It is not the same as endometriosis: with endometriosis similar tissue grows outside the womb, for example on the ovaries. Adenomyosis is more common in women who have given birth and in those who already have endometriosis. Why it happens is not yet clearly known.
Signs: painful periods, sometimes so bad you cannot get through a normal day, heavy bleeding, pain low in the tummy on any day of the cycle, bloating and a feeling of heaviness, pain during or after sex. Some women have no symptoms at all. The NHS notes that adenomyosis can make it harder to get pregnant.
Treatment depends on your symptoms, age and plans for children. Options include the hormonal IUS, hormonal pills, anti-inflammatory painkillers and tranexamic acid for heavy periods. Sometimes uterine artery embolisation is offered. Removing the womb is considered only with severe symptoms when pregnancy is no longer planned. At home, heat helps with pain.
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Frequently asked questions
How is adenomyosis different from endometriosis?
In adenomyosis the womb lining grows into its muscle wall, while in endometriosis similar tissue grows outside the womb, for example on the ovaries (NHS). They can occur together, so a gynaecologist sorts it out.
What does adenomyosis mean in psychosomatics?
There is no proven "meaning". In the Ladder method adenomyosis becomes a reason to ask yourself how much pain you are used to bearing in silence and whether there is room for you in your life. It is a question to yourself, not a diagnosis.
Can you get pregnant with adenomyosis?
Many women with adenomyosis get pregnant. The NHS says it can make pregnancy harder, so treatment is chosen around your plans. If pregnancy does not happen, it is not your fault, and it is worth talking it through with a gynaecologist.
Related topics
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.