The endometrium(子宫内膜) is a layer of tissue in the uterus which typically thickens during the menstrual cycle(月经周期). If a fertilised egg doesn’t implant(着床；植入), this lining typically thins and shed(脱落；流出)s. But in women with endometriosis, tissue similar to the endometrium starts growing outside the uterus. The condition can warp and bind together pelvic organs, including the ureter, bladder and bowel, and even spread into the abdominal wall.(这种病症会使盆腔器官（包括输尿管、膀胱和肠道）扭曲并粘连在一起，甚至蔓延到腹壁。) Over time it leads to nausea(恶心), vomiting and intolerable pain. It is estimated that 190m women have the disease.
子宫内膜是子宫内的一层组织，通常在月经周期中增厚。如果受精卵未能着床，这层内膜通常会变薄并脱落。但在患有子宫内膜异位症的女性体内，类似子宫内膜的组织开始在子宫外生长。这种病症会使盆腔器官（包括输尿管、膀胱和肠道）扭曲并粘连在一起，甚至蔓延到腹壁。随着时间推移，它会引发恶心、呕吐和难以忍受的疼痛。据估计，全球有1.9亿女性患有此病。
Modern medicine cannot cure endometriosis, and treatments are inadequate(不充分的；不足的). Its causes are still largely unknown. Obtaining a diagnosis can take almost nine years, requiring such invasive surgical procedures as laparoscopies (in which small cameras are inserted through a slit in the abdomen) and biopsies (in which tissue samples are removed for testing).(获得诊断可能需要近九年时间，且需要借助腹腔镜检查（通过腹部小切口插入微型摄像头）和活检（取出组织样本进行检测）等侵入性外科手术。) Even then, results do not always correlate with the symptoms, making it hard to assess the severity of the condition.(即便如此，检测结果也并不总是与症状相符，这使得评估病情严重程度变得困难。)
现代医学无法治愈子宫内膜异位症，现有治疗手段也远远不够。其病因在很大程度上仍属未知。获得诊断可能需要近九年时间，且需要借助腹腔镜检查（通过腹部小切口插入微型摄像头）和活检（取出组织样本进行检测）等侵入性外科手术。即便如此，检测结果也并不总是与症状相符，这使得评估病情严重程度变得困难。
Fortunately, there have been a number of promising scientific developments in recent years. “There’s been a surge(激增；急剧上升) in awareness of the condition,” says Krina Zondervan of Oxford University. More patient data have helped, too. Australia, Denmark, France and Spain have launched action plans to improve clinical care or boosted funding for the condition. After decades in the dark, researchers are rapidly moving towards a clearer understanding of the forms endometriosis takes, less invasive ways of diagnosing the condition and a variety of possible treatments.(在黑暗中摸索数十年后，研究人员正迅速走向对子宫内膜异位症各种表现形式更清晰的认识、更少侵入性的诊断方法以及多种可能的治疗手段。)
幸运的是，近年来涌现出许多有前景的科学进展。牛津大学的克里娜·宗德万表示：“人们对这种疾病的认知急剧提升。”更多患者数据也起到了推动作用。澳大利亚、丹麦、法国和西班牙已启动行动计划以改善临床护理，或增加了对该病的资助。在黑暗中摸索数十年后，研究人员正迅速走向对子宫内膜异位症各种表现形式更清晰的认识、更少侵入性的诊断方法以及多种可能的治疗手段。