What are the Symptoms of Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a mystery to the medical world as the causes of this disorder are unknown. And, a lot of women silently or explicitly suffer from this disorder. This disorder targets fertile women in the reproductive age group and causes various complications ranging from chronic pelvic pain to infertility, depending on its severity.

Before understanding the symptoms of endometriosis, let us take a look at the risk factors involved in this disorder.

Endometriosis occurs in a woman several years after menarche or puberty (onset of menstruation). The symptoms of endometriosis end temporarily during pregnancy and permanently after menopause, except when a woman is taking estrogen.

Common Symptoms of Endometriosis

Pelvic Pain: Women experience such severe cramps in the pelvic area that even over the counter pain relief medications prove inefficient.

Abnormal Bleeding: Women may bleed excessively during their menstrual cycle or find spotting in between periods. They may also bleed after sexual intercourse or find blood in their stools.

Infertility: Another common symptom of endometriosis is infertility or the inability to conceive. About 40% of infertile women get diagnosed with endometriosis. Often, endometriosis goes unnoticed or undiagnosed in women until they experience difficulties conceiving or suffer from other health-related issues. Having endometriosis makes it difficult for a woman to get pregnant; however it does not imply that she cannot bear children. The severity of endometriosis determines how difficult it will be for a woman to conceive. Through surgery or assisted reproductive methods, women suffering from moderate to severe endometriosis can get pregnant.

Painful Urination: Women may experience pain during urination, as the increased water retention leads to pain and pressure in the bladder. They also experience frequent infections in the bladder and also have an urge to urinate frequently.

Painful Intercourse: If endometrial cells grow behind the vagina or in the lower parts of the uterus, women experience immense pain after sexual intercourse. The nerves and ligaments of the uterus are affected causing pain when the endometrial tissues are agitated due to movement during sex. The pain may or may not subside after the intercourse.

Issues in the Digestive System: In the case of severe endometriosis, women experience constipation, gastritis, nausea, and vomiting since the endometrial tissues affect the intestinal wall.

Low Immunity: Women become susceptible to bladder infections, common cold, allergies, etc.

Endometriosis displays a large number of symptoms. Some women may undergo chronic pain, while others do not even realise suffering from this disorder until it is diagnosed by doctors while treating other issues.