Endometriosis
Symptoms:
- onset of increasingly painful periods
- steady dull-to-severe lower abdominal pain which can be felt just before or during menstruation, or for a week or two preceding it.
- pelvic or low back pain that may occur at any time during the menstrual cycle
- typically, severe pelvic cramps or abdominal pain that may start 1 to 2 weeks before the menstrual period
- more frequent or totally irregular periods
- premenstrual spotting
- pain during or following sexual intercourse
- pain with bowel movements
- infertility
Note: Frequently, symptoms may not be present. In fact, some women with severe cases of endometriosis have no pain at all, while some women with only a few small adhesions have severe discomfort.
Signs and tests:
A pelvic examination may reveal the presence of tender nodules, with a lumpy consistency. These are often found in the posterior vaginal wall or adnexa (ovary regions) and may sometimes be felt in healed wound scars (especially episiotomy and C-section). There may be pain with uterine motion. The uterus may be fixed or retroverted.
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