Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition that is characterized by the presence of functional endometrial glands and stroma outside of the uterine cavity. This condition is found to be highly prevalent in women of reproductive age. However, the exact prevalence of endometriosis is unknown. It is believed approximately 20-50% of cases undergoing laparotomy reveal endometriosis at the time of surgery. The median age of women who have endometriosis is 37. Because 15% of these women are under the age of 30, endometriosis can also occur in the younger adult women and also in adolescence especially when there is an association with uterine anomalies. Although endometriosis is considered an estrogen-dependent disease with treatments focusing on this mechanism, rare cases have been identified in both premenarchal and postmenopausal females.