Could this be endometriosis with pelvic pain, heavy periods and fatigue?

[Lcw29]

I'm wondering if I have endometriosis. I've been suffering with pain most of my adult life. I'm 36 now. I have heavy periods that are painful. The pain radiates down my thighs. I'm often unable to do anything as I'm exhausted by it. I also get pain from the time of ovulation onwards. Often mistaken for a UTI but nothing shows on tests.
I've just been through a colonoscopy and ultrasound but nothing was found. I get bloated and IBS symptoms. Nausea, fatigue.
Lately the pain is constant in my pelvic area and near my appendix but I'm told I'm not sick enough to be my appendix.

Does any of this sound familiar? I've got an appointment to discuss Saturday

Yes, those sound typical symptoms for endometriosis. You may need to be assertive to get a diagnosis.

The ovulation pain could point to an endometrioma (cyst) on one or both of your ovaries - that's what I had. Pain at ovulation so bad it doubled me over, and then continued right though my period. I was lucky if I got a few days' respite from pain between the end of my period and next ovulation.

I highly recommend this resource for comprehensive guidance on what you need to be asking for for diagnosis and treatment: www.endometriosis-uk.org

I’m sorry you’re going through this. Could you ask your GP whether an MRI scan might be helpful, just to get a clearer picture and a more accurate diagnosis? It might also be worth asking to see a specialist, as your symptoms could be caused by endo or adenomyosis.

Thank you 😊 I'm definitely going to persevere with the GP. For so long I've just got on with it however it's becoming more disruptive.

I forgot to mention - I used to have really heavy periods, which made me anaemic.
If you haven’t already, maybe ask your GP or a pharmacist whether you need iron tablets, and what dose you should take. Xx

Be cautious if they try to give you an IBS diagnosis. I was given an IBS diagnosis some years before my endo was diagnosed. What was actually going on was that my bowel was fused to my womb and ovaries by endo adhesions. It had to be surgically separated, I had to sign a form acknowledging the risk of bowel damage and possibility of having to have a colostomy bag - fortunately that didn't happen and my bowel returned to normal.

The bloating and pain endometriosis can cause is similar to IBS and it's a much 'easier' thing for them to fob you off with as they just give tablets and send you away.

Thank you for this. I've been told IBS before but my symptoms seem more widespread now so I'm sticking to my guns. I've been having issues since I was 18 and I'm now 36 !

Yes, these were my symptoms and I had endo