SYMPTOMS OF ENDOMETRIOSIS

Due to the spread of abnormal tissue within and outside the pelvic region, adhesions may be found in the pelvis, bladder, appendix, rectum, ovaries, fallopian tubes, lungs, umbilicus, in rare cases nasal region and in rarer cases, the brain. As a result of this and other immunologic abnormalities, no two women experience endometriosis in the exact same way.

The symptoms of this disease include:

• severe/crippling menstrual cramps
• chronic or cyclic abdominopelvic pain often intractable
• dyspareunia (painful intercourse)
• abdominal bloating
• pain while urinating,
• leg and lower back pain (particularly in cases of sciatic endometriosis),
• irritable bowel
• fatigue
• rectal bleeding,
• infertility
• pregnancy loss (miscarriages) and
• possible link to preterm births.

Comorbid pain syndromes, mood swings and asthma are also common in individuals with endometriosis

One symptom might be profound in one woman while it is absent in another. However, the cardinal symptoms of endometriosis remain chronic pelvic pain, severe menstrual cramps and painful intercourse (dyspareunia)

INCIDENCE

• Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 girls/women of reproductive age (that’s 10% of female population worldwide)
• Endometriosis accounts for 40% of infertility cases today. A good number of women find out that they have endometriosis only after they are married and are trying to conceive.
• According to a recent Finnish study which appeared in the Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynaecology, one third of girls (ages 15-19) were found to suffer severe menstrual pain of which 14% were consequently absent from school or hobbies.
• According to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology [ESHRE], 70% of teens with chronic pelvic pain go on later to be diagnosed with endometriosis.
• According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine [ASRM], it takes an average of 8 years for a girl living with endometriosis to get an accurate diagnosis
• Endometriosis affects over 176 million individuals worldwide