Stages of Endometriosis
There are many ways to classify endometriosis based on the guidelines by different endometriosis societies. There is always debate about surgical stages.
The staging system described here avoids unnecessary medical jargon and puts the respective stages into simple “patient friendly” words.
STAGE 01
Minimal
The very first and most minimal stage . A patient may have small adhesions and small amounts of endometrial tissue on an ovary. It may also include inflammation in or around the pelvic area.
STAGE 02
MILD
More adhesions on or around the ovaries. These adhesions are defined to be “too insignificant” at this stage and are usually to small to be picked up on ultrasound, unless the doctor pays attention to probe tenderness in the region while examining the ovary.
STAGE 03
MODERATE
This is the stage at which adhesions will be blatantly obvious and usually there may be cysts on the ovaries. There may be growths in other areas of the pelvis blurring into the territory of stage 4 endometriosis.
STAGE 04
SEVERE
The final stage of endometriosis. Associated with a large number of cysts and severe adhesions. Most of the cysts will appear on the ovaries while the adhesions will appear over the pelvic lining and may affect the fallopian tubes and bowels. This can make bowel movements terribly uncomfortable and period pain the absolute worst.