Women's HealthPending review

Endometriosis

Endometrial-like tissue implants outside the uterus and continues to respond to the ovarian cycle exactly as normal endometrium does, but with no way to shed and exit the body, so it bleeds internally each month and provokes chronic inflammation and fibrosis.

First principles

Retrograde menstruation seeds tissue where it does not belong

During menstruation, some shed endometrial cells and debris travel backwards along the fallopian tubes into the pelvis instead of leaving through the cervix. In most women the immune system clears this tissue harmlessly, but in endometriosis these cells implant and establish themselves on the pelvic peritoneum, ovaries or other structures, where they behave as ectopic, hormonally responsive endometrium.

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Educational content pending clinical review. Not medical advice.