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Endometriosis - Symptom

Symptoms:

  • Painful periods
  • Pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic cramps that can by felt for a week or two before menstruation
  • Pain in the lower abdomen felt during menstruation (the pain and cramps may be steady and dull or quite severe)
  • Pain during or following sexual intercourse
  • Pain with bowel movements
  • Pelvic or low back pain that may occur at any time during the menstrual cycle
  • Premenstrual spotting
  • Problems getting pregnant (infertility)

Note: Many times there are no symptoms. In fact, some women with severe cases of endometriosis have no pain at all, while some women with mild endometriosis have severe pain.

Signs and tests:

Tests that are done to diagnose endometriosis include:

  • Reviewed last on: 5/26/2008
  • Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine; Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Lobo R. Endometriosis: Etiology, Pathology, Diagnosis, Management. In: Katz VL, Lentz GM, Lobo RA, Gershenson DM. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007: chap. 19.

Mounsey AL. Diagnosis and management of endometriosis. Am Fam Physician. Aug 2006; 74(4): 594-600.

Davis L, Kennedy S. Modern combined oral contraceptives for pain associated with endometriosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007; (3): CD001019.

L Speroff, M Fitz. Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility. 7th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004.

Hansen KA, Eyster KM. A review of current management of endometriosis in 2006: an evidence-based approach. S D Med. 2006 Apr;59(4):153-9.

Adamson GD, Pasta DJ. Surgical treatment of endometriosis-associated infertility: meta-analysis compared with survival analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1994 Dec;171(6):1488-504.