Education and Research

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a common disease where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it in other parts of the body. More than 830,000 (more than 11%) of Australian girls, women, and those assigned female at birth* live with endometriosis at some point in their life, with the disease often starting in teenagers.

Symptoms are variable and 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. It can impact fertility for some but not for all.

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

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