Causes of Endometriosis

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The exact cause of endometriosis is not known. There are a number of theories:

It has been suggested that endometrial tissue can, during menstruation, pass back along the fallopian tubes into the pelvic or abdominal cavities (a process called retrograde menstruation). According to this theory some of the menstrual blood flows backwards down the fallopian tubes and into the pelvis.

It has also been proved that endometrial cells can be carried in the blood and lymph vessels to remote parts of the body.

In the early development of the fetus, the endometrium developes from the same building block cells (called stem cells) as the general lining membrane of the abdomen (the peritoneum). The ovaries also develop from these cells. It has been suggested that, in places, peritoneal or ovarian tissue might turn back into stem cells and then change into endometrial tissue.

Endometriosis is more common than average in close relatives of women with the disease. It is rare in women of Afro-Caribbean origin and more common in Asian women than in white (Caucasian) women. This suggests that genetics may be involved.