Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease in which tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus — on the ovaries, pelvic peritoneum, bowel, bladder, and occasionally beyond the pelvis. The World Health Organization estimates that endometriosis affects roughly 10% of reproductive-age women and girls globally, around 190 million people.
Endometriosis (ICD-10: N80) is a chronic, estrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder defined by the presence of endometrial-like glands and stroma at sites outside the uterine cavity. The ectopic tissue responds to ovarian hormones in a cyclical fashion, producing local inflammation, neoangiogenesis, fibrosis, neural infiltration, and adhesion formation. Three principal phenotypes are now recognized: superficial peritoneal endometriosis (the most common form, presenting as red, blue-black, or white peritoneal implants), ovarian endometrioma (the so-called chocolate cyst, an ovarian cyst filled with degraded menstrual blood), and deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) — nodular lesions that penetrate more than 5 mm beneath the peritoneal surface, typically involving the uterosacral ligaments, rectovaginal septum, bowel, bladder, or ureters. A rare thoracic form can cause catamenial pneumothorax.
The key symptoms of Endometriosis are: Progressively worsening dysmenorrhea — period pain that grows more severe year on year, often starts 1-2 days before menses, and no longer responds to over-the-counter NSAIDs., Chronic pelvic pain outside menstruation, often described as deep, dragging, or cramping, present for at least 6 months in many patients., Deep dyspareunia — pain felt deep in the pelvis with vaginal intercourse, especially in positions that allow deeper penetration; characteristic of uterosacral or rectovaginal disease., Dyschezia and cyclical bowel symptoms — painful bowel movements, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or rectal bleeding that worsen around menses and suggest bowel involvement., Dysuria, urinary urgency, or cyclical hematuria pointing to bladder or ureteric endometriosis., Infertility or difficulty conceiving, present in 30-50% of women diagnosed with endometriosis and often the first reason for evaluation., Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) or intermenstrual spotting, especially when adenomyosis coexists..
Diagnosis of endometriosis begins with a focused symptom history that asks specifically about cyclical pain, dyspareunia, bowel and bladder symptoms timed to menses, and fertility difficulty — questions still missing from many primary care visits and a major driver of diagnostic delay. Bimanual and speculum examination may reveal tenderness, uterosacral nodularity, a fixed retroverted uterus, or a posterior fornix nodule, and the exam is best timed to menstruation when lesions are most palpable. The 2022 ESHRE guideline (Becker et al) is explicit that laparoscopy is no longer required to make a clinical diagnosis: a careful history plus imaging is now sufficient to initiate empirical treatment. Transvaginal ultrasound by a trained operator is first-line imaging, reliably detecting ovarian endometriomas and many forms of deep infiltrating disease using the IDEA consensus sonographic signs (kissing ovaries, sliding sign, hypoechoic nodules of the uterosacral ligaments, bowel-wall infiltration). MRI complements ultrasound for mapping bowel, ureteric, and rectovaginal disease before surgery and for distinguishing endometriosis from adenomyosis. CA-125 is not recommended for diagnosis: it lacks sensitivity and specificity, rises in many benign conditions, and can be normal even in stage IV disease. Laparoscopy with histologic confirmation retains a role when imaging is inconclusive, when surgical treatment is planned, or when fertility decisions hinge on disease stage. The principal differentials — adenomyosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, primary dysmenorrhea, and uterine fibroids — are best sorted with a combination of imaging, focused history, and response to empirical therapy.
Endometriosis is chronic but well-controlled in most patients with combined medical and, where indicated, surgical therapy. Continuous hormonal suppression keeps symptoms in remission as long as it is maintained; pain typically returns within 6-12 months of stopping. After laparoscopic excision, 70-80% of patients report clinically meaningful pain improvement at 12 months, with recurrence rates of 20-50% over 5 years depending on completeness of surgery and postoperative hormonal maintenance. Spontaneous conception is possible in many women with minimal to moderate disease, and assisted reproductive technology achieves live-birth rates comparable to other infertility etiologies — typically 30-40% per IVF cycle in women under 35. Endometriosis carries a small absolute increase in lifetime risk of ovarian endometrioid and clear-cell carcinoma; this risk does not warrant routine screening but is one reason large persistent endometriomas in older women are watched closely. Quality of life scores improve significantly with effective treatment, though chronic pain components can persist if central sensitization has developed before lesion clearance.
Refer to a gynecologist when cyclical pelvic pain is severe enough to disrupt daily activity, when first-line analgesia and combined hormonal contraception have failed, when infertility is part of the picture, when ultrasound shows an endometrioma or deep infiltrating disease, or when bowel, bladder, or ureteric symptoms suggest extragenital involvement. Complex deep infiltrating endometriosis should be managed at specialist or multidisciplinary endometriosis centers where colorectal, urology, and reproductive surgery teams can coordinate.
Find specialists →Hormonal therapy typically reduces pain within 4-12 weeks; full benefit by 6 months. After laparoscopic excision, most patients return to light activity within 1 week, normal activity by 2-4 weeks, and report sustained pain improvement by 3-6 months. Following bowel resection or other major DIE surgery, recovery is 6-12 weeks. Fertility outcomes are typically assessed over 6-12 months of attempted conception after surgery, with IVF cycles taking 4-8 weeks each.
Low-impact aerobic activity such as walking, swimming, or cycling is safe and beneficial. Aim for 150 minutes per week. Add core and pelvic floor strengthening only under guidance if pelvic floor dysfunction is suspected. During severe flares, rest is appropriate; resume movement as pain settles. High-impact activity is acceptable between flares for most patients and should not be avoided out of fear of harm.
Look for board certification in obstetrics and gynecology with subspecialty training or accreditation in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery or reproductive medicine. Ask about case volumes for endometriosis excision (specialist centers typically perform several hundred per year), use of advanced transvaginal ultrasound or MRI for preoperative mapping, and access to a multidisciplinary team. Continuity matters — endometriosis care often spans years, includes fertility decisions, and benefits from a single accountable clinician coordinating across specialties.
Medically reviewed by AIHealz Medical Editorial Board · May 12, 2026
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