Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue which lines the uterus to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining your pelvis. It can be found to grow on other organs such as the bowel, vagina and bladder.

It causes a chronic inflammatory reaction that may result in the formation of scar tissue (adhesions, fibrosis) within the pelvis and other parts of the body. It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility. Endometriosis can cause infertility due to the probable effects of endometriosis on the pelvic cavity, ovaries, fallopian tubes or uterus.