Endometriosis is a common condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus grow outside of the uterus in other places like in your abdomen or pelvis. In the lining of the uterus, where these cells should be, they go through cycles of bleeding, shedding, and exiting out of the body via monthly periods.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus (the endometrium) grows outside of the uterus. These displaced endometrial cells can be found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or even the intestines. Just like the normal uterine lining, these cells respond to hormonal changes, building up and breaking down each month.
However, unlike the normal lining, the blood and tissue shed from these misplaced cells inside your abdominal or pelvic cavities have no way to exit the body, leading to pain, inflammation, and even scarring. Over time, this can lead to more than just pain, it can cause some internal tissues to get scarred and even stuck to each other by scar tissue which causes even more pain and complications like infertility.
10 Common Endometriosis Symptoms
- Pelvic Pain: Often this is the symptom that brings someone into a healthcare center as pelvic pain is a core symptom of endometriosis. The pain caused by endometriosis is often linked to the menstrual cycle but can also happen at any other time. Most women describe the pain as an intense cramping pain, or a deep ache.
- Bloating: Also called “Endo Belly”, bloating can get really bad and often happens around the menstrual cycle. This isn’t the common short-term bloating that women can get with their periods, it is much more severe and can cause obvious distention of the belly as well as pain.
- Heavy periods or irregular periods: By causing things like hormonal fluctuations, inflammation, and stress, endometriosis can lead to irregular periods and/or very heavy periods. One study found that almost 51% of women with endometriosis reported abnormal periods.
- Pain with bowel movements or urination: Because the inflammation and scar tissue associated with endometriosis can involve the surfaces of the bladder, bowels, and other abdominal organs, it makes sense that it can cause pain when those other organs contract or are being used. This is a lesser-known but common symptom of endometriosis.
- Fatigue: Fatigue is a fancy word for feeling tired or exhausted. Endometriosis causes chronic pain and inflammation in the body, which can really drain your energy reserves. Most people with endometriosis experience some level of fatigue.
- Infertility: Having a hard time getting pregnant is a common issue for people with endometriosis. In many cases, endometriosis is discovered or diagnosed during a workup for infertility issues.
- Pain during or after sex: Pain during or after intercourse is a common symptom of endometriosis and is caused by those pesky endometrial cells being in the wrong place around the vagina and lower pelvis. Movement of the inflamed or scarred tissues near those areas during intercourse can cause pain.
- Back or hip pain: Pain that radiates to the lower back or hips, especially around the menstrual cycle, is common when there are endometrial cells causing irritation to the nerves in the pelvis.
- Nausea and vomiting: Most common around the time of your menstrual cycle, nausea and vomiting can be caused by the hormones, inflammation, and irritation around the endometriosis cells. Up to 90% of women with endometriosis report having nausea/vomiting or gastrointestinal issues.
- Gastrointestinal issues: Interestingly, endometriosis is known to cause both constipation and diarrhea. The inflammation caused by endometrial tissue near or on the bowels can disrupt the normal movements of the bowels, either speeding them up (diarrhea) or slowing them down (constipation).
Treating Endometriosis
Endometriosis can cause long-term pain, irregular periods, difficulty getting pregnant, gastrointestinal upset, and much more. Although there is no cure, you can work with your healthcare team to manage the symptoms and improve your quality of life with endometriosis.
Your doctor might refer you to a pelvic floor physical therapist (PT) to release restrictions around your abdominal and pelvic organs, to help you stretch or release tight tissues caused by endometriosis and learn various exercises and strategies to reduce pain.
Read about How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Help Endometriosis