(HealthDay News) — Endometriosis occurs when tissue that should only line the uterus (endometrium) grows somewhere else.
The condition can cause pain before and during the menstrual period, and can sometimes lead to infertility, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The organization says endometriosis most often affects:
- The ovaries.
- The fallopian tubes.
- The bowel or rectum.
- The bladder and the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys (ureters).
- The area behind the uterus.
- The tissues that line the abdomen and pelvis (peritoneum).