Endometriosis (pronounced "in-doe-meet-ree-oh-sis") is a common condition that can cause painful periods, pain with intercourse, and discomfort or pain in the pelvic area. It can also, in some cases, cause infertility. For a more thorough discussion of this condition, please click here. Doctors used to think that endometriosis always looked like the "powder burns" one might see after a gunshot. However, we now know that endometriosis can be red, blue, brown, black, or a variety of colors, and that it can be flat, round, or even microscopic. The photos below were taken during surgery, and show how endometriosis can look during laparoscopic surgery.

Click on the hyperlink below to view the larger JPG images.

Endometriosis of Cul-De-Sac
This is a photo taken during laparoscopic surgery of multiple endometriosis implants. The uterus is at the top of the photo (you can only see the bottom part of the uterus here). There are many dark red endometriosis
implants on the "cul-de-sac," which is the area below the uterus. This area corresponds to the top of the vagina, so that if one were to put a needle through the top of the vagina, it would come out right in the center of this photo. This is the area where the penis pushes against during intercourse, so, not surprisingly, this patient complained of painful intercourse. These
implants were completely removed using laparoscopic scissors.

Endometriosis of Peritoneal Side Wall
This is a phot of "tobacco stain" endometriosis. These implants are light brown and rather flat in appearance. They are "stuck" to the peritoneum, which is the shiny, smooth lining on the inside of our bodies. These implants were found on the side of the pelvis, near the ovaries. The area of this photo is about 2 inches by 2 inches in real life. These implants were emoved
using laparoscopic scissors.

Ruptured Endometriosis Cyst
This is a photo taken during laparoscopy of an endometriosis cyst. These
cysts are called "endometriomas" and develop as endometriosis implants slowly bleed into the ovary over many months. This patient complained of worsening left-sided pain, and was found to have a small rupture. There was a small amount of blood in her abdomen. The cyst was removed and the normal ovarian tissue was saved.