Endometriosis

Chapter 18 discusses endometriosis, which is a common but enigmatic condition, affecting up to 50% of asymptomatic reproductive age women. Endometriosis can be defined as the presence of ectopic implants of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus. Several theories of pathogenesis attempt to explain its variable presentations. Endometriosis most commonly aff ects the pelvic peritoneal surfaces and the external surfaces of the ovary, fallopian tubes, and uterus, while more severe disease can involve invasion into the bowel and bladder or distant metastases to other organs such as the lungs, and it can also develop in the abdominal wall, most often in the incision following Cesarean section.