Endometriosis is sometimes misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome

It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a disorder that affects up to 10% of people with a uterus where the tissue type that lines the inside of your uterus grows outside your uterus. The tissue continues to follow the command of your hormones throughout the month by thickening, breaking down and bleeding. But the endometrial tissue is in the internal cavity of your body between organs it cannot escape like it usually would. This causes severe inflammation and pain every month. Scar tissue can being to form and cause adhesions between organs. These symptoms are fairly common across multiple gynaecological disorders and as such can be misdiagnosed. Conditions that cause similar symptoms include pseudomyxoma peritonei, and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Always consult your doctor or health professional, and do not self diagnose.

Symptoms can include:

Excessive bleeding, infertility, dysmenorrhea, pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements or urination

Symptoms are a guideline only and may apply to either the diagnosis or the reported misdiagnosis, or both. Consult your specialist for further information.

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