Fact or Myth? If not treated, endometriosis grows, spreads, and gets worse every month.

This is a tricky one. The answer is “not necessarily”.

Women’s Surgery Group writes:

“The signs, symptoms, and natural course of endometriosis varies tremendously from patient to patient. Currently, one cannot predict whether endo will progress, remain unchanged, cause fertility problems or pain, or require any surgery, much less hysterectomy. Once endometriosis has been diagnosed, many factors must be taken into account to determine the best course of action for each individual patient.”

Dr. David Redwine, a notable endometriosis specialist and surgeon writes:

“Although it seems straightforward enough, until recently no one had conducted an actual study to find out whether endometriosis does or does not spread throughout the pelvis with advancing age (it doesn’t). It was just assumed that it did. This is another example of therapy being guided by opinions rather than facts. Experimental endometriosis in animals has also been shown not to spread geographically, and a 1991 pelvic mapping study from Belgium found that the peritoneal surface area involved by endometriosis does not increase as older age groups of patients are examined. The notion that endometriosis spreads throughout the pelvis like dandelions in a field is wrong and has contributed to irrational medical care for women with endometriosis.”

MainLineFertility.com writes:

“Endometriosis usually begins as flat patches on the ovaries or ligaments of the pelvis. These patched of mild endometriosis may spontaneously disappear over a period of months or they may remain unchanged. At other times, the endometriosis may progress.”