Can endometriosis lead to cancer?

Very rarely, cancer has been diagnosed in endometriosis tissue. It is recommended if a woman is diagnosed with an endometrioma or chocolate cyst in an ovary on ultrasound and there has been no histological diagnosis (what the cells look like under a microscope) of endometriosis, that the cyst be removed so that a histological diagnosis can be made.

Will pregnancy cure endometriosis?

Endometriosis is often cured by pregnancy and in some women the endometriosis may recur later.

Will my endometriosis go away after menopause?

Usually endometriosis does resolve after menopause, however rarely it may recur on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or even more rarely spontaneously.

Do women with endometriosis experience menopause any differently?

If menopause occurs naturally at the expected age, the experience is no different from other women without endometriosis. Menopause experience is individual and ranges from no symptoms to severe symptoms. If a woman has had a surgical menopause i.e. her ovaries have been removed with or without her uterus, then severe symptoms will be experienced unless HRT is commenced soon after surgery.

How does endometriosis affect the bowel?

Endometriosis can rarely develop on the outside of the bowel and may, in time, infiltrate or develop into the bowel, causing pain, bleeding and, if in the lower pelvis near the uterus, dyspareunia (pain with intercourse).

If my symptoms aren't affecting my quality of life, is surgery necessary?

If you already have a definitive diagnosis of endometriosis and your symptoms are not affecting your life or you are managing them effectively, surgery may not be necessary.

I am only 19 years old, is it wise for me to start having surgeries at such a young age?

If you have severe pain and your life is impaired, endometriosis or the reason for the pain needs to be diagnosed initially and laparoscopy is the only way to make this diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is made, further surgery may not be necessary as the symptoms may be able to be controlled by medications such as the combined oral contraceptive pill.

Will endometriosis affect my pregnancy or delivery in any way?

Endometriosis is diagnosed in a third of women presenting for investigation of infertility. Severe endometriosis can interfere with getting pregnant but in mild cases the reasons for difficulty falling pregnant are uncertain. Endometriosis does not appear to affect pregnancy and delivery.

Content Updated 6 July 2009