Article Medically Reviewed By:
Eric S. Surrey, MD
Medical Director Colorado Center of Reproductive Medicine Englewood, CO
Overview
What Is It?
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to your uterine lining grows outside your uterus and gets stuck to other organs or structures, often resulting in pain or infertility. Endometriosis is a non-cancerous condition in which tissue similar to the endometrium (uterine lining) grows outside your uterus and adhere to other pelvic structures, most commonly the ovaries, bowel, fallopian tubes or bladder. It is a common cause of pelvic pain and infertility. It affects at least 5 percent of premenopausal women, and at least 5.5 million women in North America alone have endometriosis.
Historically thought of as a disease that affects adult women, endometriosis is increasingly being diagnosed in adolescents, as well.
Symptoms of Endometriosis
The type and intensity of symptoms range from completely disabling to mild. Sometimes, there aren't any symptoms at all, particularly in women with so-called "unexplained infertility." The most common symptoms are painful menstrual periods and/or pelvic pain. Others include:
- Diarrhea and painful bowel movements, especially during menstruation
- Intestinal pain
- Painful intercourse
- Abdominal tenderness
- Backache
- Severe menstrual cramps
- Excessive menstrual bleeding
- Pain in the pelvic region with exercise
- Painful pelvic examinations
- Infertility
Characteristics of Endometriosis
Endometrial tissue also may grow in the abdominal area or, more rarely, travel far from the pelvic region into the lungs, skin and other regions of the body. No matter where it goes, however, endometrial tissue continues to respond to hormonal signals—specifically estrogen—from the ovaries each month telling it to grow.
Estrogen is the hormone that causes your uterine lining to thicken each month. When estrogen levels drop, the lining is expelled from the uterus, resulting in menstrual flow (you get your period). But unlike the tissue lining the uterus, which leaves your body during menstruation, endometriosis tissue is trapped in the pelvic cavity. With no place to go, the tissue bleeds internally. Your body reacts to the internal bleeding with inflammation, a process that can lead to the formation of scar tissue, also called adhesions. This inflammation and the resulting scar tissue may cause pain and other symptoms.
Recent research also finds that this misplaced endometrial tissue may develop its own nerve supply to communicate with the brain, one reason for the condition's severe pain and the other chronic pain conditions so many women with endometriosis suffer from.
Risks of Endometriosis
If your endometriosis results in scarring of the reproductive organs, it may affect your ability to get pregnant. In fact, 35 to 50 percent of women with endometriosis have difficulty getting pregnant. Even mild endometriosis can result ...
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