Endometriosis 101

Roughly 10% of women at a childbearing age (between puberty and menopause) are diagnosed with endometriosis. This makes it an extremely common condition – 1 in 10 women you know probably have endometriosis.

Despite its common occurrence, many women are told that their endometriosis symptoms are “just period cramps.” We know that this can be both disheartening and frustrating. Although symptoms do have significant overlap with some of the typical experiences of a menstrual cycle, endometriosis is a separate condition. At Summit Women’s Health, we take your pain seriously and aim to identify endometriosis whenever possible.

Read on to learn more about this condition and please consider sharing this information with other women in your life. You never know who may need these answers…

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition that occurs when some endometrium (the tissue that lines the vagina) starts growing in areas outside the vagina. During a normal period, this tissue builds up, then lets off blood and exits the vagina throughout menstruation.

Even when this tissue moves to other locations, like the fallopian tubes or the outside of the uterus, it continues to build up and bleed during menstrual cycles. However, because it is not in the right location, it cannot exit the body as it is meant to do. This results in a range of symptoms and potential problems.

What is the main symptom of endometriosis?

The most notable symptom of endometriosis is severe pelvic pain, especially during periods. If you are experiencing severe cramping and pain before and/or during menstruation, you may have endometriosis. The pain may be severe enough to cause lower back or stomach pain as well.

Of course, part of what makes this condition so hard to diagnose is that nearly all women experience some pain and/or cramping during their menstrual cycle, and some of them do just have unluckily painful menstrual cycles. Also, everyone has a different tolerance for pain. You can’t know whether a “normal” period is less painful than your own because you’ve only ever had your period.

Endometriosis often develops a few years after a woman begins her period, so consider whether your periods in the past have been less painful. Also consider asking an immediate female relative – mother, sister, etc. – what their period feels like. 

Lastly, trust your gut: if you think your period is extremely painful, talk to your doctor about it.

What are other symptoms of endometriosis?

Women with endometriosis may also experience:

• Pain during bowel movements or urination (especially during their period)

• Pain during or after sex

• Irregular bleeding

• Excessive bleeding during periods

• Fatigue

• Constipation and bloating

• Diarrhea

Again, many of these symptoms can also occur during the menstrual cycle of someone who does not have endometriosis, and some of them overlap with other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At Summit Women’s Health, you and your doctor will work together to try to identify a cause for your symptoms and protect your health accordingly.

Why should I care about knowing whether I have endometriosis?

So far, other than being very painful, endometriosis doesn’t seem to affect our health much. But about half of women with endometriosis experience infertility. This infertility can sometimes be prevented if the disease is caught early and treated. But many women don’t learn that they have endometriosis until they are undergoing testing to find a reason for their infertility, and by then, it can be very difficult or not possible to limit the disease’s impact.

What can I do about endometriosis?

It’s important to know: There are treatments for endometriosis. 

Some women are told that they simply have to live with the symptoms, or that the only way to deal with it is to get pregnant. (Pregnancy does help with endometriosis, but that’s a whole separate conversation – if conceiving a child wasn’t something you were thinking of doing before, it’s not recommended to get pregnant as a “treatment.”)

Several medicine options, such as birth control, can be very effective in decreasing the symptoms of endometriosis. Additionally, there are surgical procedures that can remove the problematic tissue from the places it shouldn’t be growing. If you are diagnosed with endometriosis, talk to your Summit Women’s Health provider about the treatment options you might consider.