Managing Endometriosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Emerging Concepts and New Techniques.

Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder that is characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity 1 . In developed countries, it occurs in up to 20% of women of reproductive age and is a common cause of pelvic pain and infertility 1,2 . In sub-Saharan Africa, epidemiological data on the prevalence of endometriosis among African indigenous women are meagre 3 . In some of the few published studies, endometriosis constituted the third most common finding at laparoscopies and was reported in 15.7% of laparoscopies performed for infertility assessment 4 . In South Africa, Wiswedel et al (1989) reported a prevalence of 2% among African indigenous women presenting to an infertility clinic compared to a prevalence of 4-6% among South Africans of mixed and white race 5 . In Nigeria, a prevalence of 4-8% has been reported among women also presenting for assisted reproductive programmes 4,6,7.