1. Endometriosis Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Endometriosis Quiz!
3. Pelvic Pain Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Endometriosis cannot be diagnosed with certainty by symptoms and physical examination alone. The healthcare practitioner may consider other conditions such as infections or tumors. One condition that may have similar symptoms to endometriosis is interstitial cystitis, or chronic inflammation of the bladder. Direct visualization of the endometriosis implants, typically via laparoscopic surgery, provides the definitive diagnosis. In order to diagnose endometriosis, the following steps may be taken:

• A biopsy of the suspected tissue may be accomplished by laparoscopy. During laparoscopy a tiny camera is inserted through small incisions in the patient's abdomen. Instruments are used to remove a small piece of tissue that is examined in the laboratory. More invasive surgery, called laparotomy, requires a larger surgical incision and does not rely on the use of a surgical camera.



• During surgery, samples of the suspected areas are taken and evaluated by a pathologist. Microscopic examination of tissue samples taken during surgery may reveal endometrial cells in areas outside of the uterus.

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