Normally, this inner lining thickens throughout the menstrual cycle, before shedding and being expelled during menstruation. In people afflicted with endometriosis, though, this process takes place outside the uterus, and the blood has nowhere to go. 

This can cause intense pain in the pelvic region. Other symptoms of endometriosis  include heavy periods, bleeding between periods, and even infertility.

While the causes of endometriosis remain uncertain, scientists have identified factors such as genetics, retrograde period flow, immune system disorders and hormones as possible influencers. 

Treatments for endometriosis range from simple pain management and hormone therapy – through oral contraceptives – to surgical treatment, in more severe cases.

Though most of these surgeries tend to focus on removing misplaced endometrial tissue, the condition does sometimes call for a hysterectomy. 

Although around one in ten women will be affecting by endometriosis within their lifetime, the condition can be difficult to diagnose. The average diagnosis can take up to seven and a half years from the first onset of symptoms.

This delay is unacceptable, and is often linked to doctors’ unwillingness to believe that female patients are experiencing the pain they describe. In some cases, this sort of scepticism has resulted in women being seriously harmed.

The aim of Endometriosis Awareness Month is to ensure that more women receive their endometriosis diagnoses earlier, for a better quality of life and greater chance of successful treatment.

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