Endometriosis

Endometriosis affects up to 10 million women in the U.S., occurring primarily in menstruating women who are in their 30s and 40s. Endometriosis most frequently occurs when the endometrium tissue that lines the uterine wall somehow moves out and attaches to other places--such as a woman's ovaries or her abdomen. Sometimes, the fertile tissue living in the wrong place bleeds, along with the occurrence of the monthly menstrual cycle, causing pain and often contributing to infertility. In this program, Dr. Ana Murphy, Director of Reproductive Endocrinology at Emory University Hospital, uses a laparoscope, inserted through the pelvis, to search out the tissue and decide how best to remove it from the patient. A Discovery Channel Production. (45 minutes, color)