Does this sound like endometriosis or something else?

[FoxyBloxy]

Sometimes pain during and after sex
Sometimes bleeding after sex
Really painful ovulation
Horrible deep aching feeling in lower stomach when on period that leaves me wanting to curl up in a ball
Pain when having a bowel movement when on period
Shooting pains in vagina and bum when on period
Bleeding from behind too when on period (did have a colonoscopy for this) but nothing was found so the hospital put it down to “one of those things”

Sorry for the TMI! I’ve been really worrying so going to phone gp on Monday

I have endo and it is exactly like that.

Yes. And its bloody awful

Have you had a smear test recently and also STD tests? As some of the symptoms of endo also match cervical cancer and STD .

@AntlerRose I thought so😞 I did phone the gp around 6 months ago with some of these symptoms (they weren’t as bad back then) but the doctor said it wasn’t endometriosis and prescribed me norethisterone (I think it’s called that) I’m just worried they will fob me off again because I really want this sorting it’s making me miserable

@tissueachoo I had a smear last year, everything came back normal but I have been worrying about cervical cancer too. Not had STD tests in ages

Its always worth investigating other things too. Im not medical - it just matched my symptoms.
Im not sure how a gp can rule out endo, i had a laparoscopy to diagnose and then lazer to treat it.

I found a mirena coil helped a lot after it settled in too.

FoxyBloxy

It's not "one of those things" at all. Something is causing this to happen and it is certainly in your interest to find out what it is. Your GP fobbed you off 6 months ago as well. How was this person able to determine it was not endometriosis over the phone?. Words fail me.

Deep pain during sex is indeed a possible marker of endometriosis being present (as are your other symptoms). I;ve had those symptoms to a tee and in my case the cause was endometriosis; infact it was a classic case of this. Any symptoms that are cyclical in nature and or get worse up to and including menses should be checked out by a gynaecologist to see if endometriosis is present. It is usually diagnosed via a keyhole surgery op called a laparoscopy.

If you have the financial means I would actually call your local private based hospital and see a gynae for an initial consultation. I suggest this as well as waiting lists are miles long currently for gynae on the NHS.

Yes, that's how mine presents, but am glad that I've had lots of tests etc. done so ruled out anything more serious/ ominous

I finally got diagnosed with endometriosis after 4 years and had every single one of your symptoms.

recently had a laparoscopy and they removed an excessive amount endometrial tissue back in October. I would highly recommend pushing a concern for endometriosis with your doctor. It’s a long process

hope this helps.

It’s very likely those symptoms are endometriosis related.

@FoxyBloxy how old are you? I ask because I had a lot of these symptoms at 45+ and was told it’s extremely unlikely to be endometriosis (which was my first guess) starting that late - endo usually begins much earlier. Mine is fibroids x

Lula doctors fobbed off my dsis for years then, at 47 she was taken in for an emergency op due to suspected ovarian cancer which turned out to be endo. We also have a friend who became very unwell at 49 and again needed an urgent op, turned out to be undiagnosed endo, she ended up in a 6 hour op to try to ‘unstick’ most of her pelvic organs, took her 2 months to recover. After all of these years many gynaecologists still seem so uneducated about endometriosis.

Diagnosed 2 years ago, these are definitely symptoms!!! Insist on investigation!

@RedorangeyellowBLACK ohhh that’s interesting. I have occasionally wondered if they just found fibroids and stopped looking… but I’m on the list for a hysterectomy so I guess I’ll find out when they get in there.

Please see your GP and get a referral to Obgyn.
I've had 3 surgeries, spent years in a medically induced menopause, was medicated to my eyeballs for pain.
I'm finally getting my life back after surgery 3. I wish I had started the process earlier!!

Ask any questions, I'm an open book on the topic xx

Just a bit of an update if anyone comes across this thread. I went to the GP and the doctor agreed and said a lot of the symptoms point to endometriosis. She referred me to a gynaecologist who I see in January and I’ve just got home from an appointment where I had an ultrasound and an internal scan. It took a while to find my left ovary apparently, don’t know if that’s a sign of anything. I will get the results back sometime next week. Glad the second GP I spoke to took me serious

The internal scan really hurt too when it was on my right side

FoxyBloxy did you manage to get to see a gynaecologist in the end?

@CaraVann My appointment is on the 23rd. I had the results from the scans too and I have something called an endometriotic cyst on my ovary

I’ve had these. The sonographer called them chocolate cysts. I’ve suspected that I’ve had endo for years and it’s never been picked up!
Good luck with the appointment, I hope it goes well.

@CaraVann What tests have you had for it? And thank you, hopefully I get somewhere with it!

FoxyBloxy I haven’t had any tests for endo. After years and years of gynae issues ( very heavy periods, recurring uterine polyps and ovarian cysts including the chocolate cysts, excessive ovulation pain which lasts days, pain during sex, digestive issues etc) I am wondering if I may have always had endo especially as my dsis was diagnosed a few years ago and I read it can run in families. No gynaecologist has ever suggested it, despite me needing endless polyp removals, hysteroscopies and ultrasound scans etc!

@CaraVann my gyne told me that “chocolate cysts” only occurs in stage 3/4 endometriosis. So you have to have pretty bad endometriosis for it to develop into endometriomas (chocolate cysts) so if you’ve had them then you probably do have endometriosis.