Are you asking yourself, “Could I have endometriosis?”
If you answer yes to one or more of the questions below, you could have endometriosis.
- Do you experience severe cramps before and during your period?
- Do you bleed more than you think is normal, and for longer than seven days, during your period?
- Do you experience pain during sexual intercourse?
- Have you tried to get pregnant for at least a year without any success?
- Do you have recurring gastrointestinal issues?
What to do about endometriosis?
Endometriosis symptoms are amongst the most disabling of any chronic medical condition, seriously affecting quality of life. The pain associated with your monthly periods leads some women to fear that time of the month. Pain with sex can damage your relationship and lead to isolation and withdrawal. The fatigue and pain can affect your ability to work and limit your professional development.
It is important to seek medical help from a specialist as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment can limit the progress of endometriosis and reduce the long term impact. Many women suffer with period pains and most doctors will try conservative treatment with the oral contraceptive pill and painkillers initially.
Symptoms Explained
Heavy and painful periods
The endometrium, the tissue lining the inside of the uterus, grows and thickens and is then shed by bleeding every month you aren’t pregnant. Endometriosis tissue behaves in the same way, but the blood cannot escape like a period. This means that your periods are often very heavy and painful. Going through more than one tampon or pad every two hours is a good indicator that your bleeding is heavier than it should be.
Painful Sex
There are many reasons why you might experience pain during sex. But if you experience this in conjunction with other key symptoms, it may point to endometriosis. The deposits of endometriosis tissue on the peritoneum, the tissue lining the pelvic cavity, or in fibrous tissue lying between the vagina and the rectum are often very painful to the touch, especially near the time of menstruation. This can cause severe deep pain during sex.
Infertility
Infertility among women with untreated or unmanaged endometriosis is high. Endometriosis affects 5-15% of women of reproductive age, and about one-third of those will have infertility problems. To put it another way, 30% of women experiencing delay in conceiving are likely to be suffering from endometriosis, whether they know it or not. Interestingly, endometriosis does not reduce the chance of conceiving with IVF. If you know you have endometriosis, it might be worth thinking about IVF sooner rather than later.
Gastrointestinal Issues
Endometriosis can cause inflammation, which affects the bowels especially if the endometriosis tissue is growing near the digestive tract. That’s why diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and painful bowel movements may signal endometriosis. In severe cases you may even experience cyclical rectal bleeding if there is endometriosis low down in the mucosal surface of the bowel.
On average it takes 8 years to establish a firm diagnosis of endometriosis. Why wait?
Book an appointment now to find out if you have endometriosis and use this information to access professional medical help fast.