Results: Pelvic pain was identified as the most frequent, severe and bothersome symptom for women with endometriosis. Pain was reported to be greatest during menstruation (dysmenorrhea) and during or after sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).
Pelvic pain is the most common complaint for women with endometriosis, and it can significantly impair the quality of life, including work and social activities. The pelvic pain associated with endometriosis is usually chronic (lasting more than 6 months). Pain may also occur in the abdomen and back.
Endometriosis Symptoms
Pain just before, during, or after menstruation is the most common symptom. For some women, this pain may be disabling and may happen during or after sex, or during bowel movements or urination.
The primary symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, often associated with menstrual periods. Although many experience cramping during their menstrual periods, those with endometriosis typically describe menstrual pain that's far worse than usual. Pain also may increase over time.
Endometriosis can damage the reproductive organs and affect fertility. For example, adhesions and endometriosis tissue can damage the uterus, making it more difficult for a fertilized egg to implant. It may also damage the ovaries, affecting egg quality and making it harder for a person to become pregnant.
Endometriosis flare-ups are periods of worsened pain and other symptoms that hormonal changes and increased inflammation trigger in the body. These triggers can occur with stress, lack of sleep, alcohol use, and inflammatory foods.
You could be putting your health at risk if you don't get treatment. While they are unlikely to be fatal, they can have a negative impact on your quality of life. Untreated endometriosis can lead to a variety of complications, including: Pain that lasts for a long time.
The pain that some people with endometriosis experience is not cyclic. Instead, some people with endometriosis have constant pain, regardless of where they are in their menstrual cycle. People can have endometriosis pain that is persistent and interrupts their ability to partake in their daily activities.
Fatigue in endometriosis patients
Patients have described this fatigue as being “tranquilized” or having “their eyes go heavy and swollen to the point where they just felt like they cannot do anything.” This fatigue can also serve as a warning sign that a flare-up of pain is approaching.
Endometriosis tissues are affected by hormones in the same way as endometrial tissues inside the uterus. Hormone changes that occur with a menstrual cycle can make endometriosis pain worse. Treatments that include hormone therapy can alter hormone levels or stop your body from producing certain hormones.
The Pain Is More Than Physical
“As a practitioner, I describe endometriosis pain [as] sharp, stabbing, achey, twisting, or burning, and it may or may not correlate with your period … As a patient, I would [add that] endometriosis pain is like a gut-wrenching bomb that goes off in your insides.
Endo belly is the colloquial term for abdominal distension caused by endometriosis. Unlike the short-term bloating that sometimes accompanies your period, endo belly is much more severe, triggering physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.
The natural history of endometriosis is poorly understood, because few patients will progress through their reproductive lifespan without attempts at effective therapy.
Some people have an endo belly, which increases the size of their belly and can affect their appearance. Bloating is typically due to fluid retention and can affect your legs, feet, and hands. Some endometriosis-related causes of bloating include: Elevated estrogen levels.
The most common symptom of endometriosis is chronic pelvic pain, especially just before and during the menstrual period. Endometriosis is also associated with mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and a reduced quality of life.
Clinical studies clearly indicate that endometriosis is a condition associated with high levels of chronic stress. The stress intensity correlates with pain severity and disease extension.
Endometriosis tends to be cyclical pain, but as it progresses can become constant. Levator spasm tends to worsen while sitting, and hip pain tends to be more associated with exercise and physical activity.
Does endometriosis hurt more when lying down? Pain can increase when lying down or reclining. Try different sleep positions to find the ones most helpful.
Can endometriosis be seen on an ultrasound? Ultrasounds can show large clumps of tissue that are likely signs of endometriosis. Ultrasounds are also very good at identifying endometriosis of the ovaries. But ultrasounds can't show tiny pieces of tissue that may also be signs of endometriosis.
For many, it gets worse as they get older. Other endometriosis symptoms include: Very long or heavy periods. Severe cramps.
An experienced gynecologist may suspect endometriosis based on a woman's symptoms and the findings during a pelvic exam. Currently, the only way to diagnose endometriosis is through laparoscopy – a minor minimally invasive surgical procedure that is done under general anesthesia (while the patient is asleep).
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. Endometriosis can start at a person's first menstrual period and last until menopause.
Vitamin D deficiency has been strongly linked to endometriosis. Research has shown that not only do low levels contribute to the development of the disease, but also its severity, and even the size of endometriomas, though this is now being debated.