6 Lesser Known Symptoms Of Endometriosis
1.
Gastrointestinal Troubles
Uncomfortable bouts of constipation met with explosive diarrhea…and oh, the uncomfortable
and embarrassing gas and flatulence.
This might sound like a case of IBS (or Irritable Bowel Syndrome), however, but symptoms that
spring up (or become more severe) only around your menstrual cycle could indicate endometriosis.
According to researchers from the Center for Gynepathology Research at Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, endometrial growth—or endometrial cells that grow outside of the uterus and
form on the bowel can cause chronic and painful gastrointestinal issues.
Doctors will have to perform a laparoscopy (take a tissue sample) to determine an endometriosis
vs. IBS diagnosis.
2.
Appendicitis Pain
As if endometriosis wasn’t painful enough—according to researcher published in the National Institutes
of Health, endometrial cell growth can also cause the painful inflammation of the appendix
and imitate appendicitis symptoms.
Appendicitis typically occurs when bacteria grow in the appendix, the worm-shaped pouch
connected to the large intestine.
However, if endometriosis is the culprit, catamenial appendicitis will result in the
same inflammation of the appendix without the normal fever or increase in white blood
cell count.
Catamenial appendicitis due to endometriosis also typically coincides with painful menstrual
symptoms.
3.
Bladder Upset
If you experience an uncontrollable urinary urgency during your menstrual cycle, you may
be dealing with a condition known as interstitial cystitis.
Research from the Mayo Clinic characterizes interstitial cystitis as bladder pressure
that often occurs during a woman’s cycle due to endometrial lesions on or around the
bladder.
The symptoms of interstitial cystitis are difficult to diagnose because they often mimic
a urinary tract infection (or UTI) or bladder infection.
Common symptoms include pelvic pain mixed with the frequent urge to urinate.
A feeling that your bladder is constantly full is also common even if you’ve just
gone to the bathroom.
4.
Upper Body Discomfort
You wouldn’t normally associate arm pain or chest pain with endometriosis, but according
to Dr. Linda Griffith, the Director of the Center for Gynepathology Research at Massachusetts’
Institute of Technology, points out that endometrial cell growth may migrate and form in almost
any part of the body—including the upper body.
Although upper body pain is rare in endometriosis patients, abnormal cell growth beyond the
abdominals—for instance, in the arms, thighs, chest, and even in the diaphragm, and placement
in a woman’s abdominal cavity, the cells can also be found in the arms, thighs, and
even the diaphragm—can cause sharp and chronic pain in the upper body.
5.
Acid Reflux
Bowel endometriosis will often cause very similar symptoms to gastro esophageal reflux
disease (GERD) or acid reflux.
Patients may experience painful indigestion, burning in the throat or stomach, cramps,
abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, food regurgitation, and diarrhea—typically, but
not always, before and during menstruation.
For example, a 2013 research study from Mater Dei University Hospital, in Msida, Malta,
discovered that approximately 80-percent of endometriosis sufferers also experience some
form of acute gastrointestinal symptoms right before or during menstruation.
6.
Breathing Difficulties
Although endometriosis of the diaphragm is considered rather rare, pain in the shoulders,
upper abdomen, chest (pleuritic pain), and shortness of breath (dyspnea) can occur in
tandem if endometrial cells or lesions form in the diaphragm.
Pain in the upper areas isn’t typically associated with endometriosis.
However, Dr. Camran Nezhat, Endometriosis Specialist at California’s Center for Special
Minimally Invasive & Robotic Surgery, says that lesions on the diaphragm can cause terrible
pain, restricted movement in the upper body and arms, and even breathing difficulties—usually
with or exacerbated by a menstrual period.