Conditions
Endometriosis
As if women didn’t have enough trouble to deal with at that ‘that time of the month’, along comes endometriosis. Around 2 million women in the UK suffer from it, and although usually diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 40, teenagers can suffer as well. Endometriosis is when cells from the lining of the womb end up elsewhere in the reproductive or digestive system. These cells thicken and bleed just like in the vagina, and on a similar cycle! However, the key problem lies with these cells having no way of leaving the body, therefore causing pain and swelling. Although there is no cure, symptoms can be managed, but if left unchecked there may be difficulty in getting pregnant, and in extreme cases it can lead to organs fusing together. Not nice…
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every time me nd my partner have sexual intercourse i feel like he's pushing on something in my lower stomach i have saw my GP and she said i may have cysts on my ovarys so i had a ultrasound scan and i was all clear so she said i may have endometriosis but i have not yet gone back to see her is this true and what should i do ?
I have been suffering with crippling period pains since I was 13, I'm now 21. Recently this has gotten much much worse, when a year ago I was bleeding for over 3 months. Went to my GP who told me I had chlamydia and needed to go to a gum clinic. Got myself tested for everything - came back clean as expected. So visited another GP. Sent for ultrasound scans which showed I had polycystic ovaries (I should mention I currently have the implanon to stop me bleeding, I've had this for 5 years, changed after 3 years). No signs of why I'd be suffering with chronic pelvic pain. So, 8 weeks on I saw a specialist who told me it was likely I had endometriosis and needed a laproscopy to diagnose this. 10 weeks later, operation performed and no signs of endo even though my bowel had fused due to scarring to my pelvic wall. Pain was better for maybe 2 months? Pain started again, full force. I now can barely walk, am passing out, crying, my life has stopped due to this pain. I don't know what else to do. I've had a smear test and been told i have precancerous cells which need keeping an eye on also. I was referred to a chronic pelvic pain clinic but I want to know what's wrong with me, not just how to deal with it. I know my bowel has fused again as I've seen a specialist who said yes it's trapping what should be coming out, which is adding to your pain. Is it possible I still have endometriosis without them seeing it on a laproscopy? It answers all my symptoms, the fatigue, the pain, the back pain, the nausea? I just need someone to tell me what this is so I can learn to live with it, and not let it rule my life anymore. Thanks for reading, CS
ten years after my hysterectomy i started to have vaginal bleeding and period symptoms it took five years and lots of surgery for my local doctor and the specialist to agree on endometriosis . now my bowel bladder and stomach are stuck together my advice is keep on you know your body better than anyone else
am 25 a few years back i have been dignosed with bacteria viginosis, because i was bleeding during sex. years later not having sex but now am bleeding during period and even more when i have a shower i cant really tell if am on period or not the smell is very smelly the day after i have a show the smell comes back.
Hi im 30 and get extremly painful periods, (days off work, hot water bottles whenever possible and take as much pain relief possible)ive been to my doc on several occassions about dis and prescriptions for pain relief r thrown at me and im told to go for gentle walks!(i can just about move let alone walk d pain gets so bad...three weeks ago was my last visit and was put me on d pill and given a prescription for ponstan. ive been having smears every year for d last 10 years because of abnormal cells and even a colposcopy 5 years ago(which showed nothing) and finallyx got a clear smear last month. Now im on my 7day break, i removed a tampon earlier and thought two came out until i realised dat d second 'tampon' was actually a lump of flesh 1" width 3" length and about 2mm thick, im at my witts end:-( can any suggest why dis could possibly happen?
Hi. I'm sorry to hear you're having such a bad time of it. I was diagnosed with endo in Jan this year. I'll be honest, the symptoms you describe echo that of mine. Crippling pain which causes you to curl up on the bathroom floor waiting for the cramps and pain to stop just so you can get in the bath! (thank god for cocodamol!) I have also experienced 'clots'. Not sure if thats the proper name, but they are basically lumps of blood and tissue (sorry to be graphic!) which are very dark red or even black in colour. I dont think they were ever as big as what you describe, but not far off. I noticed I had them more when I used tampons. In March this year, I started using mooncup. This is a menstrual cup made from silicon. It sounds absolutely gross, but I honestly wouldn't go back to tampons and towels. Before I was changing tampons every hour, now I don't have to worry for a few hours. (I have managed to fill it a few times though!) you just wash it out (tip it down the loo) and put it back in. I hardly ever get cramps with the cup, and don't have as many 'clots'. Not sure of the science behind it but it has improved my life so much! Plus saved me a fortune!! Hope that gives you a bit of comfort or advice. I would suggest you ask your GP for a referral to a gyno. Don't give up till you get answers xxx
Hi.I'm 27 years old and was diagnosed with endo in feb this year,after being rushed to hosp with suspected appendicitis. (After an op and some very bad after care) I eventually had another operation (after being sent home twice,even tho i was still in pain!) to drain 2 chocolate cysts from my ovaries - one was the size of an orange,the other the size of a melon!(thought my trousers had been getting tight!) anyway, my periods since then have been ok,bearable, until my last one,which was back to agony! I've also had pain on and off, in the weeks since my last period. Any ideas if this is normal? Or if the cysts could have formed again? I don't get any proper answers from my GP! Also,one of my scars from my op is STILL red, very raised and painful.my GP said it was hypertrophic, but again hasn't told me anything about this! Is it serious? Can it be treated? I really don't know what I'm meant to do, or what to expect. GPs seem to place endometriosis into the "too hard to handle" pile!
Hi, I've also recently been treated for endometrioma (large bilateral chocolate cysts) and deep infiltrating endometriosis (severe). The key is whether the cysts are drained/coagulated or excised. Basically, if they are only drained then there is a high chance (50%+) that they will return (as demonstrated in published RCTs). If they are excised laparoscopically by a highly skilled surgeon then the chance of them coming back is much lower (5% or less). The first surgeon I spoke to proposed simple drainage. I had my doubts and after researching the literature I decided to go for a 2nd opinion with an endo. specialist who offered excision and criticised the first surgeon for offering 'incomplete' surgery. You mention drainage - if this is the case, then I would imagine you should be having routine echos to check the ovaries. Did they also prescribe a course of zoladex injections (or something similar) following surgery - this is typical after drainage surgery. Maybe it's time to seek out a 2nd opinion with a specialist, if you are able to.
I have endometriosis and Pcos and have been put on yasmin to control the symptoms. For two months i had no period or even period pains (very unusual for me), i did a pregnancy text n it said positive so i booked appointment with a dr, morning before my appointment I woke up early hours of the morning in agony n flooding blood. I havent been to the drs because im too scared, but does this sound like a miscarriage? This was about 2-3 weeks ago, i feel fine now but have been really tired n belly felt bruised for a while, is there anythin i should do or be lookin out for now? Thanks
I have suffered from constant bladder, kidney and urinary track infections for over two years now. I bleed after sex and find it sometimes to be unbearably painful, I have taken nearly every antibiotic going for the infections... my swab tests for sexually transmitted infections always comes back clear and I never have periods due to the pill I take (cerazete) Yet still get horrible stomach cramps/ lower back pain all the time. I'm constantly bloated and have been told to take tablets for IBS which i've never suffered from before... I've been pestering and nagging my doctors for some more investigation because I feel so run down all the time and sore, are the water infections possibly to do with endo? I'm so fed up, currently waiting to see the gyno. So fed up :(
Hi i was the same as you, back and forth to the doctor. In the end my bladder stopped working i had i cafiter fitted and in hospital for a week with infection. In pain all the time but nothing was done untill last week. After another water infection and sick every day for 10 days with no food, they took me back to hospital, to give me fluids and antibiotics. My periods were none stop from may this year. Huge clots and in bad pain, back and forth to the gyne departent and urine clinic while they blamed each other. I saw an oncall doctor by chance. He looked at my notes sent me for a scan and biopsy's. Got me back in and said its endo, within 2 weeks was in having op to have it removed. And treatment to my bladder which now works. And he clipped my ovaries off so in feb i can have my womb and cervix taken away. When i came back to the ward he said it was everywhere. I was in alot of pain at first but its settled now a little. But most of all they found what was wrong. Go back to the gp and demand a reff to the hospital, its ur right to have that. Tell them how you feel and how much effects your life. Ibs they tried that with me. remember u know ur own body. hope this helps......and sorry it's so long ha. Good luck xx
hy im 19 i was told i hd endo wen i was 18 and it made my bowel stick to my pelvis after the operation i had no follow up appointment. a month later i fell pregnant, since having my daughter who is now 6 mnths i have been on period for 5 months when i 1st went to the docters they kept giving me tablets for 3 months that didnt work they then told m there was nothing else they could do for me and referd me to gynie i still waiting to be seen and the bleedings getting worse and im constantly in pain and realy bloated and dont no wat to do ? x
I have just been diagnosed with this at the age of 22 after many many years of symptoms ad being told I had other things like IBS. I've had a laparoscopy a few weeks ago and they found endo but was in pain again straight away and I think it may be growing on my bladder, also I have to go for a thing called colposcopy so I think I may also have it on my cervix. In general I don't think many gps or health professionals know much about it and don't feel like I'm really getting far with anyone, but it's definately worth sticking with it and doing your own research to educate the professionals dealing with us (even though we shouldn't have to) but hey they can't know everything they are only human. Anyone got any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer or you can go onto www.endometriosis.org.uk it's a great website with thousands of peoples story and you can ask loads of questions
hi i am 17 years old, when having intercourse it is realllly painful, ive been checked for sti's and been given treatment for thursh and its not any of those could it be this?
Hi, endometriosis can cause pain during sex (it tends to be a deep pain, worse with deep penetration) - but there are other causes for painful sex as well, such as dryness (if you are not aroused enough), soreness/irritation of the lining of the vagina/vulva, or if you are tensing your pelvic floor muscles. Women with ovarian cysts may also experience painful sex. Even having a womb that is tilted backwards (instead of forwards) can lead to pain during sex - it's an anatomical anomalie in about a third of women and something that is harmless - if this is the case, then changing positions may reduce the pain. Basically, the only way to find out what's going on is to go to the doctor and discuss your symptoms. Endometriosis is not just associated with painful sex (although the symptoms vary a lot from woman to woman and it can even occur without any symptoms) - often women experience painful periods, and some women have pain associated with peeing and pooing. If/when you make an appointment with your GP, it's good to make a note before hand of exactly what you are experiencing, how long, when it happens, how bad it is etc. - a pain diary - then you won't forget to mention something and it probably won't feel quite so awkward discussing it if it's down on paper. Hope this helps.
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