Endometriosis

Endometriosis is the second most common gynecological disorder after uterine fibroids. It is a benign condition (not linked to cancer), but is a progressive, debilitating disease affecting women almost exclusively during their reproductive years. It may significantly impair health and reduce fertility.

How endometriosis occurs still remains unclear. We do know that fragments of the endometrial tissue (lining of the womb or uterus) become deposited elsewhere in the body, for example, the ovaries or bladder.

Deposits build up each month during the menstrual cycle and then break down and bleed, just like the lining of the womb. However, unlike the lining of the womb, the deposits have no where to bleed to, i.e. they cannot exit the body. Consequently, internal bleeding, inflammation and internal scarring can occur resulting in considerable pain. Sometimes cysts, called endometriomas, form in the ovaries and these may rupture, causing pain.

Common symptoms of endometriosis are: difficult or painful menstruation, difficulty or pain during sexual intercourse, infertility, low back pain, and pelvic pain. Less common symptoms include: difficulty or pain in passing feces, premenstrual spotting, difficult or abnormal uterine bleeding, and pain or difficulty in passing urine. These symptoms are also found in other diseases.

Diagnosis of endometriosis can take a long time and many investigations, and can only be reliably confirmed by examining inside the pelvic region of the body using a device called a laparoscope.