Endometriosis Information

Endometriosis is one of the most common but enigmatic diseases1.

There is no known cause or cure for the condition which  affects approximately 176 million women globally2.

It is a chronic gynaecological condition where cells similar to those which normally line the uterus  during the menstrual cycle ( the endometrium)  are found on or in other regions of the body such as the pelvis, the ovaries and the large intestines (1,2).

These cells  respond to changes in hormone levels just like  those in the uterus . This means they  build up  and  degrade  but unlike those cells which are shed from the uterus, these cells  cannot escape. This  causes an inflammatory response which  can lead to (1,2). :

  • Internal bleeding leading to scarring and adhesions in the area
  • Pain during the period
  • Pain during intercourse
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Debilitating pelvic pain and
  • Infertility

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine‘s(1,2) revised scale of classification is used to determine which stage of Endometriosis a person may have.

There are four stages:

  • Minimal- I
  • Mild- II
  • Moderate- III and
  • Severe-IV

Classification is based on visual analysis of the location and size of the Endometriosis and not on the intensity of pain an individual may or may not experience.

Sources:

  1. Signorile, P. and A. Baldi (2010) “Endometriosis: new concepts in the pathogenesis. “The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2010.03.008
  2. Johnson, N.P., and L. Hummelshol (2013) “Consensus on current management of endometriosis”. Human Reproduction. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/det050

Here are some other resources about this condition:

In 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a guideline which provided information about assessment and management of Endometriosis. Please access this information in the link below:

We seek to provide relevant and up to date information to allow those with Endometriosis to make informed decisions as it pertains to the condition. Whilst we provide these links and references to external resources, we have no control over what they produce on these third party sites and thus are not responsible for the content and cannot confirm the completeness of any of the information from any other site. Thus,  we claim no liability for any damages or injuries of any kind arising from such content or information. Please remember to seek the expert opinion of a medical practitioner for medical advice.