About Endometriosis

What is it?

• Endometriosis is a common disease where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it in other parts of the body.

What is the endometrium and its layers?

The lining layer is called the endometrium, and this is the layer of tissue that is shed each month with menstruation (period) or where a pregnancy settles and grows.

This layer consists of two sublayers:

1. A base layer that is always present; this is where the new tissue regenerates following a period.
2. A surface layer that is shed with each period.

Who does it affect?

• Nearly 1 million Australian girls, women, and those assigned female at birth* live with endometriosis at some point in their lives. The disease often starts in teenagers.

What are endometriosis symptoms?

• Symptoms vary from person to person. This may contribute to the 6.5-year delay in diagnosis. Common symptoms include pelvic pain that puts life on hold around or during a person’s period.

Endometriosis and fertility

• It can impact fertility for some but not for all.

Where in the body does endometriosis occur?

• Endometriosis most often affects the reproductive organs.
• However, it can also be found in and around the bowel and bladder. Endometriosis has been found in every part of the body, including skin, joints, lungs and brain.