The most typical symptom of endometriosis is pain associated with the onset of the period, which usually affects the lower back, abdomen and pelvic area. This is often at its worst one week before the period starts.
Pain just before, during, or after menstruation is the most common symptom. For some women, this pain may be disabling and may happen during or after sex, or during bowel movements or urination.
Endometriosis can affect women across all ethnic backgrounds and at any age, but it most commonly affects women during their reproductive years between the ages of 25 and 35.
The symptoms of endo belly include pain and severe distension. Your abdomen may be tender to touch and often worsen throughout the day. Many endometriosis patients say that by the end of the day, they can't button their pants or that they look like they're pregnant.
Regular Exercise. Exercise happens to be one of the best coping techniques to deal with both the emotional and physical pain that stems from endometriosis. Exercise increases circulation, reduces the production of estrogen, as it releases endorphins in the brain to bring pain relief.
High levels of estrogen and stress hormone and low levels of progesterone worsen this inflammation. Common causes of endo attacks include stress, bad sleep, and pro-inflammatory foods such as caffeine, alcohol, and red meat.
Pelvic pain and cramping may begin before and extend several days into a menstrual period. You may also have lower back and abdominal pain. Pain with intercourse. Pain during or after sex is common with endometriosis.
If your endometriosis symptoms prevent you from working, you have the same rights as with any other illness. You're entitled to self-certify yourself from work in the event of a short period. You'd only need to talk to your GP if you think you'll need to be off from work for longer than seven consecutive days.
Fatigue in endometriosis patients
Patients have described this fatigue as being “tranquilized” or having “their eyes go heavy and swollen to the point where they just felt like they cannot do anything.” This fatigue can also serve as a warning sign that a flare-up of pain is approaching.
Is endometriosis painful like labor? Though symptoms vary from person to person, some describe their endometriosis cramps as feeling like contractions that come and go and mimic those of labor pains. It's important to note that not all people will experience such intense pain.
The extent of endometriosis is evaluated during laparoscopy. A clinical staging system is used to describe the extent of endometriosis, adhesions, and endometrioma cysts in the ovary. A score of 1-15 indicates minimal or mild endometriosis and a score of 16 or higher indicates moderate or severe disease.
Endometriosis sometimes gets better by itself, but it can get worse if it's not treated. One option is to keep an eye on symptoms and decide to have treatment if they get worse. Support from self-help groups, such as Endometriosis UK, can be very useful if you're learning how to manage the condition.
A painful night can affect your sleep. Pain is the most debilitating symptom on a daily basis for many women with endometriosis, and the associated sleep loss can exacerbate that pain even further.
Chronic stress accelerates the development of endometriosis.
The Pain Is More Than Physical
“As a practitioner, I describe endometriosis pain [as] sharp, stabbing, achey, twisting, or burning, and it may or may not correlate with your period … As a patient, I would [add that] endometriosis pain is like a gut-wrenching bomb that goes off in your insides.
Walking boosts those happy endorphins and reduces the nasty stress hormones. It can also reduce inflammation. Resist your impulse to stay on the sofa and not move. Even a little movement can help curb the pain of endometriosis.
Throughout the cycle, people with endometriosis can experience varying levels of pain in their lower back, abdomen, and thighs. Often with endometriosis, the pain correlates with the menstrual cycle, starting one or two days before menstruation and lasts throughout the period.
If you are worried about how much you are bleeding during your menstrual cycle, have noticed your periods have become heavier or are experiencing some of the other common endometriosis symptoms we've discussed, such as severe period pain, then it is time to visit a doctor.
If you have endometriosis, one of the best ways to sleep is on your side. Sleeping on your left side, in particular, may reduce pressure on your uterus and other organs, which can help alleviate pain and discomfort.
Stage 4 endometriosis life expectancy
Although it can affect your quality of life, it isn't considered to be a fatal disease. Endometriosis is associated with a small number of potentially fatal conditions, such as small bowel obstruction and ectopic pregnancy.