7 Unique Symptoms of Endometriosis
It can be frustrating to be a women who might have endometriosis. You have a number of symptoms that leave you physically and emotionally drained. As you search for answers, you consult with so many doctors you can’t remember the names of all of them. You keep hitting a dead end.
One of the problems with diagnosing endometriosis is that you and your doctor might not put all your symptoms together. You both know pain is a symptom, but recognizing some of your other symptoms are indicating endometriosis might be more difficult.
Recognizing some of the unique symptoms of endometriosis can help with diagnosis. For one, being able to put the pieces together can let you and doctor decide if an exploratory laparoscopy would be right for you.
Common Symptoms
Pain is a well known symptom of endometriosis. Common endometriosis pain can occur along with the menstrual cycle and during sex. It can also cause back and abdominal pain.
Along with pain, women with endometriosis tend to have heavier periods. You may also experience breakthrough bleeding outside of your period and you could experience some vaginal bleeding after sex.
Fertility issues are also a known symptom of endometriosis.
Unique Symptoms
Along with those common symptoms, there are a number of unique symptoms you may experience if you have endometriosis.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): You might be diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but it might be endometriosis of the bowel causing IBS type symptoms. You may experience diarrhea, constipation, abdominal cramping, bloating, intestinal pain, or pain with bowel movements. During your period, those symptoms can worsen.
- Acid reflux: Many women with endometriosis also experience heartburn. It can cause burning in your throat, abdominal bloating, vomiting, regurgitation, burping, and nausea. Not treating acid reflux can cause damage to the lining of your esophagus, regardless of what happens with any endometriosis.
- Catamenia appendicitis: Endometriosis of the appendix can cause you to have symptoms of appendicitis. You can experience piercing, right-sided pain, but you won’t have a fever or elevated white blood cells.
- Interstitial cystitis (IC): Many women with endometriosis also have interstitial cystitis (IC), a painful bladder condition. Symptoms can be similar to a urinary tract infection (UTI), but again without fever or elevated white blood cells. Even without an IC diagnosis, endometriosis of the urological system can cause pain and symptoms of the bladder, urethra, and kidneys.
- Fatigue: When your body is constantly fighting a chronic disease, it can leave you exhausted. It’s not uncommon for women with endometriosis to also have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
- Pain outside your cycle: Not all pelvic pain related to endometriosis occurs at the time of your period. You can have pelvic pain at anytime during the month.
- Breathing issues: Very rarely, endometriosis can affect the lung and diaphragm which can cause breathing issues during your cycle. You might feel like you have asthma or very rarely suffer a collapsed lung during your period.
Additional Symptoms
Women with endometriosis may also experience depression, anxiety, headaches, low grade fever, hypoglycemia, and allergies. Really, you may not feel well on a daily basis.
Endometriosis can only be definitively diagnosed with surgery and pathology. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to keep a symptom diary. It can help you and your doctor to decide if symptoms warrant surgery and if there are other health conditions which can be treated separately.
This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support. Reprinted with permission: 7 Unique Symptoms of Endometriosis
