What happens to excised tissue, and does pathology matter?

During surgery, the tissue we remove is typically sent to a pathology lab. Pathology can confirm whether the sample contains endometriosis and can describe what’s present—such as an endometrioma, scarring/fibrosis, or other tissue changes. It also helps us rule out rare but important concerns, especially when removing ovarian cysts or complex-appearing tissue.

Pathology is helpful, but it isn’t the whole story: a pathology report only reflects the specific samples submitted, and endometriosis can be missed if disease is microscopic or located in areas that weren’t sampled. Symptom improvement depends most on complete, careful removal of visible disease and addressing contributing factors as part of a coordinated plan. If you have questions about your pathology results or what they mean for next steps, our team can review the report with you and tailor follow-up to your goals.