Severe menstrual pain, up to fainting: Endometriosis is an abdominal disease in which tissue similar to that of the uterine lining grows outside the uterus in the abdominal cavity. Although endometriosis is the second most common gynecological ailment and is estimated to affect around one in ten women, in Germany it takes an average of six to ten years before the correct diagnosis is made. Years in which the patients are often not taken seriously and their pain is dismissed as conventional menstrual problems. But not only women are affected. Trans, inter and nonbinary people with uterus can also develop endometriosis.

In a four-part series on stern PLUS, the Charité doctor and endometriosis expert Prof. Dr. medical Sylvia Mechsner Questions from stern readers about the condition. Mechsner is a professor for endometriosis research at the Berlin Charité and heads the endometriosis center there.

In the first part of the series, which will be published on Wednesday, she explains whether a laparoscopy is essential for the diagnosis and what the risks of an early intervention are. Also: could endometriosis be detected with a saliva test soon? The expert explains the background of the possible test procedure.

The consequences at a glance:

Episode 1: Endometriosis and the possibilities of diagnosis (appears on Wednesday, September 21, on stern PLUS)

Episode 2: Endometriosis and Nutrition (out September 28)

Episode 3: Endometriosis and the Pill (to be released on October 5th)

Episode 4: Endometriosis and Fertility (Out October 12)

Other stern articles about endometriosis, background information and interviews are bundled on this topic page.