Patient education: Endometriosis (The Basics)

What is endometriosis? — Endometriosis is a condition that can cause pain in the lower part of the belly and trouble getting pregnant.

The "endometrium" is the name for the inner lining of the uterus. In people with endometriosis, cells like those normally found in the endometrium grow outside of the uterus (figure 1). It is not known exactly how or why this happens. But when endometriosis cells grow, it causes inflammation inside the body. This can lead to symptoms.

What are the symptoms of endometriosis? — Some people with endometriosis have no symptoms. But most have pain in the lower part of the belly that can occur:

●Before or during monthly periods

●Between monthly periods

●During or after sex

●When urinating or having a bowel movement (often during monthly periods)

Other symptoms of endometriosis can include:

●Trouble getting pregnant

●Growths on the ovaries that a doctor can feel during an exam

All of these symptoms can also be caused by conditions that are not endometriosis. But if you have any of these symptoms, tell your doctor or nurse.

Is there a test for endometriosis? — Not yet. But your doctor or nurse might suspect that you have it by learning about your symptoms and doing an exam.

The only way to know for sure if you have endometriosis is for a doctor to do surgery and look for endometriosis tissue outside of the uterus.

How is endometriosis treated? — Endometriosis can be treated in different ways. The right treatment for you depends on your symptoms and whether you want to be able to get pregnant in the future.

Doctors can use medicines to treat endometriosis. These include:

●Pain medicines – You can take "NSAID" medicines such as ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) to help with pain. But these medicines do not make the endometriosis go away.

●Birth control medicines – Certain birth control medicines can help reduce pain symptoms. Options include oral pills, skin patches, vaginal rings, intrauterine devices ("IUDs"), implants, and injections. These treatments are not appropriate if you are trying to get pregnant.

●Medicines that stop monthly periods – These medicines stop the body from producing certain hormones. They can help if birth control medicines do not relieve symptoms. If you need them for longer than 6 months, your doctor might also have you take other hormones.

Some people choose to have surgery to treat endometriosis. Different types of surgery include:

●Laparoscopy – In this type of surgery, a doctor will make a small cut (incision) in the belly and put a tube with a camera (called a "laparoscope") inside the body. Then, they can see and remove endometriosis tissue.

●Hysterectomy – If no other treatments work, doctors might suggest a hysterectomy. This is surgery to remove the uterus. Hysterectomy is usually only done if nothing else has helped. Sometimes, the doctor will also remove the ovaries and tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus (fallopian tubes) (figure 2). You cannot get pregnant after your uterus is removed.

What if I am having trouble getting pregnant? — If you are having trouble getting pregnant, talk with your doctor or nurse. There are different medicines and treatments that can help.

More on this topic

Patient education: Painful periods (The Basics)
Patient education: Choosing birth control (The Basics)
Patient education: Deciding to have a hysterectomy (The Basics)
Patient education: Female infertility (The Basics)
Patient education: Chronic pelvic pain in females (The Basics)
Patient education: Salpingectomy (The Basics)
Patient education: Oophorectomy (The Basics)
Patient education: What you should know about oophorectomy (The Basics)

Patient education: Endometriosis (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhea) (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Chronic pelvic pain in females (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Hormonal methods of birth control (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Abdominal hysterectomy (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Ovulation induction with clomiphene or letrozole (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Infertility treatment with gonadotropins (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: In vitro fertilization (IVF) (Beyond the Basics)