Technically speaking, endometriosis is “defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma like lesions outside of the uterus” (Parasar et al., 2017). This means that there is tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (“endometrial-like” thus “endometriosis”) present outside of the uterus. It is usually in the pelvic region but can be found throughout the body. This tissue that is outside of the uterus (endometriosis) is different in several ways from the tissue in the uterus in both how it is structured and how it behaves. This tissue outside of the uterus can cause pain, infertility, and organ dysfunction due to inflammation, invasion into other body areas, and scar tissue. The World Health Organization (2023) aptly states that endometriosis “is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility.” Endometriosis impacts approximately 1 in 10 individuals assigned female at birth and even has been found, although rarely, in individuals assigned male at birth. Symptoms are often dismissed as “bad cramps” leading to an average 10-year delay in diagnosis.
References
Parasar, P., Ozcan, P., & Terry, K. L. (2017).
Endometriosis: epidemiology, diagnosis and clinical management. Current
obstetrics and gynecology reports, 6(1), 34-41. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13669-017-0187-1
World Health Orgainzaiton. (2023). Endometriosis. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis