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Dr. Krishna G. Seshadri, AB(Int.Medicine), AB(Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism)*


Endometriosis is a condition characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue on the ovaries, fallopian tubes or other abnormal sites, causing pain or infertility

. The disease tends to progress under the repetitive influence of the menstrual cycle.

Epidemiology

Women are usually 25 to 29 years old at the time of diagnosis, which is frequently delayed in those who present with infertility rather than pain. A familial tendency has been identified. Endometriosis has been found in 4.1 percent of asymptomatic women undergoing laparoscopy for sterilization; however, evidence of the disease is present in 20 percent of women undergoing laparoscopic investigation for infertility. Approximately 24 percent of women who complain of pelvic pain are subsequently found to have endometriosis. The overall prevalence, including symptomatic and asymptomatic women, is estimated to be 5 to 10 percent. Because surgical confirmation is necessary for the diagnosis, the true prevalence of the disease is unknown.