What does endometritis mean?
Endometritis is the medical term for inflammation of the endometrium — the mucous membrane that lines the inside of the uterus. It is almost always caused by infection, commonly arising when bacteria travel up through the cervix during or after childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, or certain medical procedures; sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea are also frequent culprits. Typical symptoms include pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, fever, and foul-smelling discharge, and prompt antibiotic treatment is important because untreated cases can spread to involve the broader pelvic organs, a condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease. Doctors distinguish acute endometritis, which develops rapidly with prominent symptoms, from chronic endometritis, a subtler inflammation identified microscopically by the presence of plasma cells in endometrial tissue. The word derives from Greek roots meaning 'within' and 'womb', joined to the suffix '-itis', which denotes inflammation.
nounInflammation of the endometrium, the mucous membrane lining the inner surface of the uterus.
- Inflammation of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, most often caused by infection.
"The obstetrician diagnosed postpartum endometritis after the patient developed fever and uterine tenderness two days after delivery."
"Untreated chlamydia can ascend into the uterus and cause endometritis."
"The pathology report confirmed chronic endometritis, with plasma cells visible in the endometrial tissue."
The word functions as an uncountable mass noun in modern medical English; the classical-style plurals appear only in older or highly technical texts.
"Several distinct forms of endometritis were described in the 19th-century literature on puerperal fever."
Its name literally means 'inflammation of what's inside the womb' — Greek roots that doctors have been using since the 19th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of endometritis
Endometritis is built from three elements of Greek origin: 'endo-' meaning 'within', 'metra' meaning 'womb' or 'uterus', and '-itis', the suffix used in medicine for inflammation. It entered medical usage in the 19th century, when physicians were systematically naming inflammatory conditions of specific organs. It shares its roots with related anatomical and clinical terms such as endometrium, endometriosis, and myometrium.
How endometritis is actually used
A formal medical term used in clinical and pathological contexts rather than everyday speech. It is typically treated as uncountable, though the rare learned plurals 'endometrites' and 'endometritides' appear in older medical literature. Clinicians often specify it as acute or chronic and may qualify it by context, as in 'postpartum endometritis'.
Easily confused with endometritis
Endometritis is inflammation of the uterine lining, typically from infection, whereas endometriosis is a condition in which tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus.