What's does the different stages on Endo mean i know its the severity of the condition. But what is stage 1,2,3 & 4?

[Diagnosis21]

[janes8650]

I think it depends on the amount of cysts and adhesions and endometriosis. But as you get more of those things, the stage goes up.

[Diagnosis21]

Oh right thankyou very much

[michelle2013]

I think it depends where it is not how much you have. But I don't know specifics I'm afraid

[Impatient]

Stage 1 and 2 do not have endometriomas (blood filled cysts) - you can have ordinary cysts but not endometriomas.

Stage 1 is very shallow surface endo lesions usually on one or two locations - might be V. painful but it is not extensive and is usually easily treated with surgery or lasers to remove.

Stage 2 is deeper endo - needs excision surgery - but still no endometrioma cysts

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Stage 3 is at least 1 endometrioma- might be a teeny tiny one or several whoppers makes no difference to the staging. and the endo that is elsewhere is shallow regardless of whether 1 patch or hundreds.

stage 4 is again at least 1 endometrioma cyst regardless of size or location, and at least one patch of deep infiltrating endo which needs excision not just surface diathermy or lasering out, but actually being cut out of the organ or tissue it is growing in to. You could have numerous such deep lesions on all sorts of places and still be stage 4.

In the UK there are only the 4 stages, in the US there seems to have emerged a stage 5- though quite how that differs from stage 4 I have no idea. stage 4 seems to cover the worst it can be anyway. stage 4 is usually worded as 'severe endo'.

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this staging buiness has no bearing on pain levels, there is no way to quantify the pain levels and the stage 1 and 2 endos (without cysts) as these are often much more painful than those ladies who do have angry cysts will experience from their regular endo patches.

why that is, no one knows, so staging is simply a way to describe the type of endo as it is found rather than the impact any of that has on your day to day existance.