What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

Endometriosis is actually not uncommon among women. Common symptoms include pain during sexual intercourse, or excessive menstruation and dysmenorrhea. In severe cases, it can even cause infertility.

1. Pain during sexual intercourse: Endometriosis occurs in the rectouterine fossa and vaginal rectal septum, causing swelling of the surrounding tissues and affecting sexual life, and the discomfort during sexual intercourse worsens before menstruation.

2. Periodic rectal irritation symptoms: Progressively aggravated periodic rectal irritation symptoms are rare in other gynecological diseases and are the most valuable symptoms for diagnosing this disease. The rectum, anus, and vulva feel heavy, painful, and have a feeling of tenesmus, and the frequency of bowel movements is increased. As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more and more obvious, and disappear after menstruation.

3. Excessive menstruation: In endometriosis, the menstrual volume often increases and the menstrual period is prolonged. It may be caused by an increase in endometrium, but is often accompanied by ovarian dysfunction.

4. Dysmenorrhea: It is a common and prominent symptom, mostly secondary, that is, it starts from the occurrence of endometriosis. Patients complain that they had no pain during menstruation in the past, but dysmenorrhea began to occur from a certain period. It can occur before, during, and after menstruation. Some people have severe and unbearable dysmenorrhea and need to rest in bed or take pain medication. The pain often worsens with the menstrual cycle.

5. Infertility: About 50% of endometriosis patients suffer from infertility. Among patients with unexplained infertility, about 30-40% suffer from endometriosis. Endometriosis causes infertility, which is often caused by pelvic masses, adhesions, fallopian tube blockage, poor follicle development or ovulation disorders caused by the disease. Once pregnant, the ectopic endometrium is suppressed and atrophies, which is a good treatment for endometriosis. Some cases of habitual miscarriage are caused by endometriosis.

6. Symptoms of periodic bladder irritation: When endometriosis lesions involve the bladder peritoneal folds or invade the bladder muscle layer, symptoms such as menstrual urgency and frequent urination will appear simultaneously. If the lesion invades the bladder mucosa, there will be periodic hematuria and pain.

7. Cyclic lower abdominal discomfort: The incidence of this symptom is higher than that of dysmenorrhea. Endometriosis patients without dysmenorrhea often have this symptom.