The hidden story of endometriosis: Pain, lesions, and the microbiome

If you’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis, the big question is: What type of lesions? In this episode, Lara challenges long-held assumptions to explore: the three types of endometriosis lesions, emerging evidence that superficial lesions may not explain pain or other symptoms, alternative explanations for pelvic pain and infertility, including pelvic congestion, immune dysfunction, and gut microbiome imbalance, and an update on the bacterial contamination hypothesis. Links: Could pelvic congestion syndrome explain your pelvic pain? Prevalence of endometriosis in asymptomatic women (1991 study) Surgical removal of superficial peritoneal endometriosis for managing women with chronic pelvic pain: time for a rethink? (2019 BJOG article) Bacterial contamination hypothesis (2018 paper) Fusobacterium infection facilitates the development of endometriosis (2023 paper) ANZCA 2024 Statement on pelvic pain and endometriosis