Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrium (that is, the lining of the uterus) is found in locations outside the uterus.
Endometriosis has probably been around for as long as the human race. The first references to it are believed to be in ancient Egyptian scrolls that date back to 1600BC. However, it was not until 1921 that an American doctor, John Sampson, accurately described the disease and named it endometriosis (Haney AF. 1990).
Causes and development
The causes and development of endometriosis are poorly understood despite years of research and speculation. Many theories about the origins and early development have been proposed but it is only in recent years that medical research has become sophisticated enough to start looking at the complex chemical and cellular changes associated with the development of the condition. Hopefully, this research will reveal the answers in the next few years.
Theories of early development
There are four main theories of early development. Each theory is thought to explain how some, but not all, women develop endometriosis.
Retrograde menstruation theory
The theory of retrograde menstruation is by far the most popular theory and it probably explains the vast majority of cases of endometriosis in the pelvic cavity. According to this theory, endometriosis develops when menstrual fluid from the uterus flows backwards through the fallopian tubes and out into the pelvic cavity during the menstrual period. This process of backward flow occurs to some degree in all women with open fallopian tubes and is known as retrograde menstruation.
When the menstrual fluid flows out of the ends of the fallopian tubes it is deposited onto the surrounding organs and tissues. The menstrual fluid contains some of the endometrial cells from the endometrium of the uterus..............
