The symptoms of endometriosis

Endometriosis causes severe pain and cramps in some women, while others only have a little discomfort or notice nothing at all. Women usually have endometriosis symptoms during their menstrual period, but may also experience them at other times. The severity of symptoms doesn't always depend on how much endometrial tissue a woman has in her body.

Endometriosis is a condition where the kind of tissue that normally lines the womb grows in other parts of a woman’s body too. These “growths” are known as endometrial implants. They do not always cause pain. Endometriosis can lead to various symptoms, depending on the extent of the disease. The most common symptoms are:

• Very painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhea): When a woman has her period (menstruation), the muscles in the wall of her womb repeatedly tighten and squeeze in order to shed the lining of the womb. This can cause period pain. Women who have endometriosis may have particularly severe pain and cramping during their period. Many girls and women think this is normal because things have always been that way for them. It never crosses their mind that their severe period pain might be caused by a medical condition.
• Pain during sex (dyspareunia): This pain is usually described as burning or cramping pain. Sometimes women only feel it after they have finished having sex.
• Abdominal (lower belly) pain: Various degrees of pain may be felt in different parts of the abdomen, sometimes radiating to the back or legs. The pain doesn't necessarily only occur when women have their period. Permanent (chronic) abdominal pain tends to be rare.
• Gastrointestinal (stomach and bowel) problems: If endometriosis affects a woman’s bowel, she might feel full or have painful bowel movements. If it affects her bladder, passing urine might hurt.
• Exhaustion: Severe and frequent endometriosis symptoms often lead to general exhaustion. This makes women less able to cope with physical and mental strain.

These symptoms can be caused by other things too, so endometriosis can't be clearly diagnosed based on them alone. It can only be diagnosed following a medical examination.