Debilitating period pain, pain during intercourse, cyclical digestive issues? Write your situation and get a signed response from a licensed gynecologist within 24 hours.
Write to the gynecologist nowEndometriosis affects about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, yet the average time to reach a correct diagnosis is still 7-8 years from symptom onset. It involves tissue similar to the endometrium (the uterine lining) growing outside the uterine cavity — on ovaries, tubes, the peritoneum, and in deeper cases even the bowel or bladder.
Not all period pain is endometriosis, but some signs deserve attention: period pain that worsens over time instead of stabilizing, pain during intercourse (deep dyspareunia), chronic pelvic pain even outside your period, cyclical bowel or urinary symptoms, and for those trying to conceive, difficulty getting pregnant.
A definitive endometriosis diagnosis would technically require laparoscopy with biopsy, but current clinical practice relies heavily on clinical assessment and imaging: transvaginal ultrasound performed by an operator experienced in endometriosis (which can detect endometriomas or deep nodules), and pelvic MRI in unclear cases.
Adenomyosis is endometrial-like tissue growing within the uterine muscle itself, while endometriosis is found outside the uterus. They can coexist in the same person, and symptoms overlap significantly, though surgical treatment differs.
Treatment depends on symptom severity, desire for pregnancy, and disease extent: ranging from hormonal therapy (continuous pill, progestins) to suppress the cycle and reduce inflammation, anti-inflammatories for acute pain, up to laparoscopic surgery in cases with significant lesions or associated infertility.