About Endo

Endo Symptoms

Everyone’s experience of having endometriosis is different, but there are common symptoms to look out for to get a diagnosis and start getting help.

Endometriosis symptoms can make everyday activities challenging. People with endo can miss out on school, work, and social activities because of painful and difficult symptoms. Their experience of endo can also impact their relationships and mental health.

Adolescents with endometriosis symptoms are 10 times more likely to miss school than their peers who don’t have endo. And adults lose up to 11 hours on average every week from endo symptoms.

Common endo symptoms

Pelvic pain

Pelvic pain is one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis. Many people with endo have pelvic pain during menstruation. Some people have pelvic pain when they ovulate, at other times of the menstrual cycle, or even every day. Some people with endo also experience chronic pelvic pain, which is pelvic pain that happens often over a long period of time.

Pain with sexual activity

People with endometriosis may have pain during and after sexual activity. This type of pain is called dyspareunia. Most commonly with endometriosis, a person may have pain with deep vaginal penetration (deep dyspareunia).

Some people with endometriosis may have pain at the entrance to the vagina (superficial dyspareunia). This can be caused by conditions other than endometriosis.

Woman sitting on toilet bowl holding tissue paper - health problem concept

Bowel symptoms

  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal bloating
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Painful bowel movements

Bladder symptoms

  • Bladder pain
  • Pain with urination
  • Urgent need to urinate
  • Frequent urination

Fertility issues

About 1 in 3 people with endometriosis have trouble getting pregnant. About 1 in 26 people with endometriosis will experience recurrent pregnancy loss – 2 or more miscarriages in a row.

Fatigue

Fatigue is a symptom that is often ignored and downplayed even though it has a big impact on a person’s quality of life.

Symptoms of extrapelvic endometriosis

People with extrapelvic endo may have different symptoms depending on where their endometriosis is. A common symptom is pain during menstruation in the part of the body where extrapelvic endometriosis is located.