Endometriosis Excision Specialist in Palo Alto, California

Although symptoms can vary considerably, the most common are:

painful periods (ie, killer cramps/pain with menstruation/menstrual cramps)

pain just before or after your period

pelvic pain at any time during the month

pain during or after sexual intercourse

difficulty getting pregnant (infertility)

nausea and vomiting

severe abdominal bloating

pain during ovulation

pain or bleeding with bowel movements

other bowel symptoms (ie, pain with bowel movements/ constipation/ diarrhea intestinal pain/upset stomach)

other bowel/gastrointestinal symptoms (acid reflux, loss of appetite, nausea with eating)

pain or bleeding with urination

other bladder symptoms (difficulty voiding/urgency/frequent urination/ incontinence)

pain in the lower back

pain in the groin area

heavy periods

more frequent periods

other, irregular bleeding

fainting/falling unconscious (due to pain)

pain that mimics appendicitis

pain that mimics celiac disease

pain that mimics Chrohns Disease and/or irritable bowel syndrome

pain that mimics interstitial cystitis

fatigue

It’s important to note that some women and teenage girls may not consistently experience the most well-known symptom of endometriosis: painful periods. Women and girls may also experience acyclic chronic pelvic pain; that is, pain at any time during the month. In other cases, women and girls have no symptoms and don’t know they have the disorder until years later when they're experiencing fertility issues. Complicating matters further is the fact that endometriosis can affect every organ or area of the body (except the spleen). As a result, pain can manifest essentially anywhere in the body. In this sense, endometriosis should really be considered a potentially systemic disease, rather than just a gynecological one. Because of these and other atypical symptom profiles, it’s important to know that you might have endometriosis even if you don’t have all of the so-called classic symptoms.

Bear in mind, however, that not everyone with painful periods or infertility has endometriosis! There are other conditions which can cause chronic pelvic pain and other symptoms similar to those of endometriosis. Therefore, as mentioned, the only way to definitely diagnose endometriosis is to undergo the surgical procedure of laparoscopy.

The bottom line is; listen to your body and trust your instincts. If you’re in pain, are experiencing unusual symptoms, or simply think that something’s just not right, be sure to seek out a second opinion - or third, fourth, or tenth one - if necessary.

This list is not comprehensive, but a few atypical or less well-known symptoms include:

no pain symptoms

acyclic chronic pelvic pain i.e., pain all the time or anytime, independent of menstrual cycles

hip pain

leg pain

back pain

vaginal pain

groin area pain

nerve pain (sciatic, pudendal, etc)

musculoskeletal pain

pain in the shoulders usually coinciding with menstruation

pain on or near the kidneys usually coinciding with menstruation

pain in the upper abdomen usually coinciding with menstruation

pain in the chest area usually coinciding with menstruation

pain on or near the lungs or breathing problems usually coinciding with menstruation

pain on or near the diaphragm or breathing problems usually coinciding with menstruation

pain on or near the liver usually coinciding with menstruation

acid reflux symptoms (GERD) usually coinciding with menstruation

A woman who has a mother or sister with endometriosis is much more likely to develop endometriosis than other women. You are also more likely to have endometriosis if you:

Started your period at a young age

Never had children

Have frequent periods or ones that last 7 or more days

Have a closed or otherwise blocked hymen (imperforate hymen, congenital aplasia), which blocks the flow of menstrual blood out of your body during menstruation (also called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome)

Have other uterine abnormalities such as a double uterus, septate uterus, or bicornuate uterus

Have fibroids

Endometriosis is fairly common, affecting an estimated 10%-15% of women and girls, usually during their reproductive years. Based on these rough estimates, more than 5.5 million women in the US and an estimated 176,000,000 worldwide (that’s 176 million) are believed to be affected. However, endometriosis commonly goes undiagnosed. Therefore many experts believe that the incidence is actually higher.

Contrary to popular beliefs, pre-teen and teenage girls can and do get endometriosis.

And, although its considered a disorder affecting women during their reproductive years, in rare cases endometriosis has been found in fetuses, infants, young girls who have not menstruated yet, in post-menopausal women, in women who have had a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and perhaps most surprising, even in men in a handful of cases.

Next: Where does endometriosis grow?