iii Acknowledgements

First and foremost I would like to give thanks to all my supervisors. To Dr Parvez Haris for giving me the opportunity to undertake this project and research a subject so close to my heart. To Dr John Hall for helping me with experimental work. To Dr Dyan Ankrett for appraising my work with a level of professionalism I have come to be envious of, and to Prof Justin Konje for expert clinical support and guidance through the minefield that is endometriosis research. Thanks to my friends and colleagues at De Montfort University, thank you for your support through my time here. To my family as well, without the encouragement of whom, I would not be where I am today. And of course to Melissa, my constant source of love and inspiration. iv BACKGROUND. Endometriosis is a very common but poorly understood disease. Defined as the presence of tissue resembling endometrial glands and stroma found in various locations around the body the disease manifests as implants which periodically proliferate and bleed. Our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease is limited. No methods are available for predicting the