Coping with ENDOMETRIOSIS

Endometriosis affects women of any age, with significant life impact, but the cause isn’t understood. It occurs on the ovaries and fallopian tubes, abdominal wall and even, rarely, inside the bladder, bowel or lungs. During a period, this tissue bleeds, causing pain, sticky adhesions and cysts.

Theories include genetics – it runs in families and affects some ethnic groups more than others – and retrograde menstruation. This is where the womb lining flows back up through the fallopian tubes, sticking to abdominal organs rather than through the vagina as a period. Other theories include immune disorders and endometrium cells spreading