Symptoms of Endometriosis
A major symptom of endometriosis is severe recurring pain. This can include:
- Painful, sometimes disabling menstrual cramps (dysmennorhea). Pain may get worse over time.
- Chronic pain (typically lower back pain and pelvic pain, also abdominal)
- Painful intercourse (dyspareunia).
- Painful bowel movements or painful urination (dysuria).
- Heavy menstrual periods (menorrhagia).
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Premenstrual or intermenstrual spotting (bleeding between periods).
- Infertility. Endometriosis may lead to fallopian tube obstruction. Even without this, there may be difficulty conceiving. In some women, infertility is the sole symptom, and the scarring from endometriosis is only discovered after fertility investigations.
Women who are diagnosed with endometriosis may alse have gastrointestinal symptoms, such as those that mimic irritable bowel syndrome.
Diagnosis
Health history and physical examination often leads a physician to suspect a diagnosis of endometriosis. Ultrasound and MRI may be used to identify nodules or endometriotic cysts, but the only confirmation of a suspected diagnosis is by laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is also a means of surgically treating endometriosis.
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