

The most frequent locations are the uterosacral ligaments, culdesac, pelvic sidewalls (under the ovaries), and over the bladder. Most often, it is found in the pelvic peritoneum, or the lining of our abdominal cavity.

Essentially, it is tissue that resembles the endometrium (lining of the uterus), that exists other places. So back to endo- the formal definition is “endometrial glands and stroma existing outside the endometrial cavity”. For details on this, please see My Philosophy on Treating Pelvic Pain Patients. Pain is perceived differently by different individuals. In reality it’s really no more mysterious than considering that Tiger Woods played a whole round of golf on a broken leg, while my mother can fall down and get no more than a bruise and stay in bed for 3 days. This has led physicians and researchers to call endometriosis “enigmatic”, meaning perplexing or mysterious.

What this means is that one person may have mild disease and severe pain, whereas someone else could have severe disease and minimal symptoms. The severity of pain varies from person to person, just as the severity of disease does, however they are not linked. Endometriosis, frequently referred to as just “endo”, is a genetic disease that affects women and causes pain, inflammation, and infertility.
