Symptoms of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic and quite often, painful condition of the endometrial tissue, which is the tissue that lines the uterus, starts growing outside the uterus as well. This growth can occur on the fallopian tubes or ovaries and can also form outside the pelvic area. Often in the early stages it can appear as normal bodily changes that occur during the menstrual cycle however as it progresses the pain will become worse and eventually will lead to a decline of the woman's general health and potentially the health of her reproductive organs.

Endometriosis is a difficult condition to diagnose because it does not follow any real pattern and many of its symptoms can mimic other health issues such as ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancy, irritable bowel syndrome, ovarian cancer, fibroid tumors, colon cancer and even appendicitis. The more common symptoms are; pain before and during menstruation, pain during intercourse, general pain through out the month in the pelvic region which can become severe and debilitating, heavy or irregular menstrual periods, lower back pain, painful urination or bowel movements during the menstrual period, fatigue, constipation or diarrhea or even infertility. Other symptoms that can be caused by Endometriosis are headaches and low grade fevers, as well as depression or low blood sugar and the woman can become prone to allergies or anxiety. Painful ovulation or menstruation can also be a sign of this condition and contrary to what many believe, menstruation should not be painful.

Rarely Endometriosis can travel to the lungs and can cause the patient to cough up blood, or have a shortness of breath, a collection of blood or pulmonary nodules in chest cavity. These symptoms will usually coincide with the menstrual cycle.

It is quite possible for the most debilitating symptom of this condition is chronic fatigue. It is not fully known why the fatigue occurs but it is believed to be caused by either the chronic pain or medications that the woman could be on or if it the bodies method of trying to cope with the condition.

Abdominal bloating can also be another symptom of this condition. It is believed to be caused by inflammation of the pelvic cavity or else Irritable Bowel Syndrome which is also common in women with Endometriosis.

The urinary tract symptoms of Endometriosis are normally caused by the tissue lying on the outside of the bladder and can appear in the form of blood in urine, a burning sensation during urination or painful urination, tenderness around the kidneys, pain radiating toward the groin from the buttocks, or urinary frequency or urgency or possibly retention.

Pain that radiates from the buttock down the leg is common where Endometriosis has affected the sciatic nerve. Sometimes it can restrict the hip ligaments and cause severe pain and limping. This pain, if it follows the cyclic pattern of the menstrual cycle can often be caused by Endometriosis.

As you can see from these symptoms of Endometriosis, it is understandable how it might have taken awhile to diagnose this condition, however medical research has made great leaps forward in both recognizing that these symptoms could be caused by Endometriosis and so can start looking for ways to treat it sooner rather than later which will lead to the healing of the condition and the return to a normal life.