What is endometriosis?
Medical definition: Endometriosis is endometrium including both endometrial glands and stroma in an ectopic location (Albee, 1997)
endometriosis occurs when the same type of tissue that makes up the endometrial lining of the uterus grows on other structures in the pelvis. These cells respond to fluctuations just like those in inside the uterus enlarging and multiplying as the ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle (Garner, 1997).
endo=within, metri= uterus (womb), osis=condition
found in 12-15 % of women (5 million women in the US)
primarily found in women during their child-bearing years
endometriosis is not cancer and there is no cure for it
one of the most common diseases but it is also one of the least understood