Endometriosis is a common disease affecting one in ten women. The most likely cause of this disease is the migration of the lining of the womb through the tubes and into the pelvic cavity which causes bleeding and inflammation during menstruation inside the pelvis. These can cause adhesion and symptoms of endometriosis. The biggest challenge for endometriosis is a diagnosis. By performing a detailed and advanced transvaginal ultrasound scan, the diagnosis can be made with good accuracy. Unfortunately it is common for the majority of the women with endometriosis, diagnosis to be made late; this can cause years of suffering by patients.
Symptoms of endometriosis vary among women. Some ladies may have higher stage of the endometriosis with no symptoms and some have severe symptoms with mild degrees of endometriosis. Some women may not have any symptoms even with the highest stage of endometriosis. Generally, stages of the endometriosis is correlated with the likelihood of infertility and patient's symptoms.
Endometriosis can cause infertility, painful periods, pain during sexual intercourse and pain during defecation. Endometriosis can cause adhesion in the pelvis. This adhesion and distortion of the pelvic anatomy can be a cause of infertility. There are other factors involved in infertility including inflammation of pelvic organs and presence of hydrosalpinx ( fluid in the tubes) as a result of the disease or previous operations.