What Is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the inside of the uterus — called the endometrium — grows outside of the uterus.

The most common places for endometriosis to occur are the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, bowel, and outside walls of the uterus. Some women with endometriosis experience no symptoms, while others experience pelvic pain or difficulty getting pregnant.

There's no cure for endometriosis, but several treatment options may help reduce pain or increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Endometriosis Prevalence

It's difficult to know for sure how many women have endometriosis, because some women have no symptoms.

Endometriosis is most common in women in their thirties and forties, but can happen in any woman who menstruates or has a period.

Causes and Risk Factors for Endometriosis

The exact causes of endometriosis aren't known. Experts believe the condition is probably due to a combination of factors.

Some of these factors may include:

Genetics: Endometriosis runs in families. Your risk of endometriosis is about six times higher if your mother or sister had endometriosis.

Hormones: The hormone estrogen seems to promote endometriosis.

Menstrual period problems: Some women experience "retrograde menstrual flow," or backward period flow, in which some of the tissue shed during a period flows backward through the Fallopian tubes and into the pelvis.

Environmental exposure: Certain industrial chemicals and pesticides have been shown to mimic hormones. Exposure to these compounds before birth has been linked to a higher risk of endometriosis later in life.

Other factors that may increase your risk of endometriosis include: 

• Starting your menstrual period at an early age (before 11) 
• Short monthly menstrual cycles (less than 27 days) 
• Heavy menstrual periods that last more than seven days 
• Nulliparity (no bearing of children) 

Endometriosis and Pregnancy

• Endometriosis can cause problems getting pregnant.
• Almost 40 percent of women with infertility issues have endometriosis, according to ACOG.
• Inflammation from endometriosis can damage the eggs and interfere with the movement of eggs and sperm.
• In some women, scar tissue from endometriosis can block the Fallopian tubes (the tubes connecting the ovaries and the uterus).

Nonetheless, it’s still possible to get pregnant with endometriosis. Hormone treatments or surgery to remove some of the endometriosis tissue may help.

Other Endometriosis Complications

Some women with endometriosis experience severe pelvic pain that can interfere with everyday activities.

Several treatments are available to help reduce pain in women with endometriosis.

A number of other health conditions seem more common in women with endometriosis, but researchers are not quite sure how (or whether) these health problems are linked to endometriosis.

These conditions include:

• Allergies and asthma 
• Autoimmune diseases (in which the body's immune system attacks itself), including multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, and some forms of hypothyroidism 
• Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia 
• Certain cancers, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a type of blood cancer) 

Sources 

1. Levy, B. S. (2015). "Patient Information: Endometriosis (Beyond The Basics)." UpToDate. 
2. Endometriosis FAQ; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 
3. What is endometriosis? Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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