Endometriosis is one of the conditions women can get when the apparatus plays up. The degree of the problem varies from absolutely no symptoms, or mild discomfort, to severe chronic pain and infertility.

What is it? The problem is that bits of stuff which are usually only found in the lining of the uterus have scattered to places they shouldn’t be.

What happens?

The lining of the uterus is called endometrium. It is a particular kind of tissue that has special properties, like responding to the circulating hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) by becoming thicker and more lush. This happens every month in the normal menstrual cycle. If a pregnancy should happen, the spongy lining of the uterus is ready to accept the fertilised egg, which can settle and grow. If no fertilised egg latches on that cycle then the hormone levels drop, the lining of the uterus is shed, and the woman has a period.

Having endometrium in your uterus is a good idea. Having it in other places is not. If endometrial tissue is outside the uterus (called endometriotic tissue), in the pelvis, it still responds to hormones by becoming thick and juicy. When the ‘no pregnancy’ signal is received it breaks up and fragments, just like it does in die uterus, but instead of being let out via the vagina, it doesn’t have anywhere to go. It may bleed into the surrounding tissues, or cause a cyst, which may rupture. Blood can irritate the lining of the pelvis (called peritoneum). Irritation of your peritoneum usually hurts, as anyone who has had appendicitis will remember. It may irritate whatever organ it happens to be near, giving rise to a whole lot of different symptoms. In time, irritation of the peritoneum and other surfaces may stimulate the development of scar tissue, which can tether organs, and distort the normal shape and positions of the pelvic organs.

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