The short answer: Adenomyosis (often searched as adenomyosis kya hai, एडिनोमायोसिस क्या है) is a common, non-cancerous condition in which tissue like the womb lining grows into the muscle wall of the womb. It can make the womb bulky (a scan report may say “bulky uterus”) and cause heavy, painful periods. It is not cancer and not a pre-cancer. An ultrasound, and sometimes an MRI, usually finds it, and many women are helped by medicines or a hormone coil without an operation. Symptoms usually settle after menopause.
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Adenomyosis: A Frequently Missed Diagnosis
Adenomyosis occurs when endometrial glands and stroma — the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus — are found within the muscle wall of the uterus (the myometrium). Each month, this embedded tissue responds to hormonal signals: it swells and bleeds, but with no route of escape. The result is a thickened, enlarged, tender uterus and, for the woman, debilitating periods and chronic pelvic pain.
Adenomyosis is far more common than most women — and many doctors — realise. It is found more often as women get older during their reproductive years, and in women who have had previous operations on the womb, such as a caesarean section. Yet because its symptoms overlap so heavily with fibroids and endometriosis, and because for many years it could only be confirmed by examining the womb after a hysterectomy, adenomyosis has been chronically under-recognised. Modern high-resolution MRI and experienced transvaginal ultrasound now allow non-surgical diagnosis in most cases. The same scan helps tell adenomyosis apart from fibroids; our page on understanding adenomyosis explains how the two differ and how the diagnosis is made.
Symptoms of Adenomyosis
- Heavy menstrual bleeding — often with clots; the enlarged uterine wall contracts less effectively, prolonging bleeding
- Severe period pain (dysmenorrhoea) — cramping pain that starts before the period and persists through it
- Chronic pelvic pain — a dull, heavy ache between periods
- Uterine enlargement — the uterus may feel bulky on examination
- Pain during sex (dyspareunia) — deep pain during intercourse, particularly in the days before menstruation
- Urinary pressure symptoms — if the uterus is markedly enlarged
Many women with adenomyosis also have another condition of the womb or pelvis — endometriosis, fibroids, or small growths in the womb lining (endometrial polyps) — which is why a good scan matters when working out what is causing the symptoms.
Is Adenomyosis Related to Cancer?
No. Adenomyosis is a non-cancerous (benign) condition and is not a pre-cancer, and most women with adenomyosis never need a cancer specialist. Heavy or irregular bleeding can, however, also come from changes in the womb lining, so your doctor may suggest a sample of the womb lining (endometrial biopsy) if your bleeding pattern changes — for example, bleeding between periods or after sex, or much heavier or more irregular bleeding in the years before menopause — or if the scan does not look like typical adenomyosis. Any bleeding after menopause should always be checked, even if it happens only once; see bleeding after menopause.
Do not accept years of heavy, painful periods as inevitable. Effective treatments exist, from pain-relief tablets, hormone tablets or a hormone coil to surgery when other options have not helped. Our guide to adenomyosis treatment options explains each choice and how it fits with plans for pregnancy.
For adenomyosis assessment in Ahmedabad, contact Dr. Nishtha Tripathi Patel at +91 76988 00333.