Symptoms and Signs of Endometriosis

  • Endometriosis
    Endometriosis affects 176 million women worldwide. Endometriosis usually causes symptoms during reproductive years (~12-60 years old. Many women and girls are often undiagnosed. Endometriosis affects women equally across all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Submitted by Sanjog bhagat on 11 August 2017

Symptoms vary and usually reflect the area affected. They may include the following:

  • Recurring pelvic pain that can range from mild to severe cramping or stabbing pain that occurs on both sides of the pelvis, in the lower back and rectal area, and even down the legs
  • Dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps)
  • Pain during and after sex
  • If endometrial implants are found in the bowel, pain during bowel movements
  • If endometrial implants are found in the bladder, pain may be felt during urination
  • Infertility in 50% of patients. The reason for infertility in mild endometriosis is not known, but in moderate to severe endometriosis, pelvic adhesions prevent the release of eggs; block the sperm entry into fallopian tube and also prevent the ability of the fallopian tube to pick up eggs during ovulation.

Many women with endometriosis show no symptoms.

Endometriosis patients may also have attendant conditions like:

  • Adhesions: Adhesions are connections between surfaces of organs where there should be no connection, for example, between the ovary and the pelvic wall.
    This connection can be a band (vascular or avascular), filmy/transparent or dense/opaque, or the surfaces of organs may adhere to each other without an intervening adhesion band. Adhesions occur in endometriosis patients, and may sometimes be a complication of surgical management of endometriosis.
  • Chocolate cyst formation: Endometrioma is a blood-filled “chocolate” cyst that can occur when endometriosis tissue develops in the ovary.
Community
Women's Health and Pregnancy
Condition
Endometriosis
Changed
Mon, 08/14/2017 - 21:00

Stories

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  • Prevention of Endometriosis
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  • Management of Endometriosis
    Management You can manage your endometriosis by lowering the levels of the hormone estrogen in your body. Estrogen helps to thicken the lining of your uterus during your menstrual cycle. To keep lower estrogen levels in your body, you can: Exercise regularly (more than 4 hours a week). This will also help you lower body fat which helps decrease the amount of estrogen circulating through the body. Avoid large amounts of alcohol.  Alcohol raises estrogen levels. Limit to one drink per…
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    Although an estimated 176 million women around the world suffer from the‘secret plague’, too few primary care doctors know how to diagnose it and the specialists to whom they are sent are ill-informed. Read here about Endometriosis The Guardian’s coverage struck a chord with sufferers who too often spent years searching for a diagnosis. Although women will often find themselves with a prescription for the contraceptive pill, far too many are sent away by a doctorwho tells them it’s all in…
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    New drug combo shows promise in relieving pain, symptoms A recent clinical study, conducted at the University of Bath in England with women of reproductive age, demonstrated great potential of a new drug combination. The two drugs are E2MATE – created in the university’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology – and norethindrone acetate, or traditional progesterone. Researchers must test the drug combination further in human trials to confirm that it will be an effective treatment of…