DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis of endometriosis is generally considered uncertain until proven by laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is a minor surgical procedure done under anesthesia in which the patient's abdomen is distended with carbon dioxide gas to make the organs easier to see and a laparoscope (a tube with a light in it) is inserted into a tiny incision in the abdomen. By moving the laparoscope around the abdomen, the surgeon can check the condition of the abdominal organs and see the endometrial implants, if care and thoroughness are used.

A doctor can often feel the endometrial implants upon palpation (pelvic examination by the doctor's hands), and symptoms will often indicate endometriosis, but medical textbooks indicate it is not good practice to treat this disease without confirmation of the diagnosis. Ovarian cancer sometimes has the same symptoms as endometriosis, and hormonal treatment (particularly estrogen), which is common in treating endometriosis, could cause a cancer to grow even faster. A laparoscopy also indicates the locations, extent, and size of the growths and may help the doctor and patient make better informed, long-range decisions about treatment and pregnancy.

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