EndoAI
Interactive anatomy · schematic
Explore the organs and tissues most often discussed with endometriosis. Rotate the schematic, switch to a flat diagram, or read everything as text.
To keep this page quick on phones and tablets, the 3D schematic (about 190 KB) loads only when you choose “3D schematic”.
Loading the 3D schematic…
Drag to rotate. Pinch, or focus the view and scroll, to zoom. Tap an organ or a number to select it.
Front view. The bladder (dashed) sits in front of the lower uterus; the bowel sits behind. Select a number in the list for details.
Structures
Choose a structure to read about it. Every structure is also described in full in the text-only view.
Also called the womb
A hollow, pear-shaped organ in the pelvis where a pregnancy develops. Its inner lining, the endometrium, builds up and sheds during menstruation.
Endometriosis is defined by tissue similar to this lining growing outside the uterus. The NHS illustrates small patches on the outside of the womb, as well as on nearby organs.
A pair, one on each side of the uterus
Glands where eggs form and where the hormones oestrogen and progesterone are made. They sit against the side walls of the pelvis, one either side of the uterus.
The NHS lists the ovaries among the places endometriosis is most often found. It can form cysts on an ovary, called endometriomas; NICE notes that a transvaginal ultrasound can help identify them.
Two slender tubes
They connect the ovaries to the uterus, and eggs pass along them towards the uterus. The funnel-shaped outer end, fringed with finger-like fimbriae, lies close to the ovary.
The NHS lists the fallopian tubes among the places around the womb where endometriosis is often found.
The lining of the pelvis
The peritoneum is the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in the abdomen. In the pelvis it forms what the NHS calls the lining of the pelvis. In the 3D view it is drawn as a translucent sheet over the organs.
The lining of the pelvis is one of the places endometriosis is most often found. NICE refers to “peritoneal endometriosis”, which may be treated during a laparoscopy.
Urinary bladder
A temporary store for urine. It sits low in the pelvis, behind the pubic bone and beneath the peritoneum.
Endometriosis sometimes affects the bladder. NICE lists period-related or cyclical urinary symptoms, such as blood in the urine or pain passing urine, among the symptoms that should prompt healthcare professionals to consider endometriosis.
Sigmoid colon and rectum
The sigmoid colon is the S-shaped section of the colon that connects to the rectum. The rectum follows the curve of the sacrum at the back of the pelvis. The large intestine absorbs water and passes stool.
Endometriosis sometimes affects the bowel. NICE lists period-related or cyclical bowel symptoms, especially painful bowel movements, among the symptoms to consider, and describes specialist referral for deep endometriosis involving the bowel.
An important limit
Recording where you feel pain is genuinely useful: it helps you describe your experience. But symptoms alone cannot show where endometriosis is, or how much there is.
NICE describes examination, ultrasound or MRI, and sometimes laparoscopy to look for endometriosis, and advises that normal results do not always rule it out. It also recommends that treatment follows a person’s symptoms, preferences and priorities rather than the stage of endometriosis. The WHO notes that endometriosis is most common in the pelvis but can occur elsewhere, including the abdomen and chest.
So EndoAI’s body map records your experience. It never tells you what is happening inside your body.
Sources: NICE NG73 recs. 1.3.5, 1.5.2–1.5.11 and 1.6.1; WHO fact sheet.