BY RAKHI VYAS, DO
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue, similar to the lining of the uterus, grows outside of the uterus. While the cause of endometriosis is unknown, the impact on patients’ health can be severe. Symptoms range from persistent pelvic pain to infertility – and from one patient to the next the impact can be different.
Endo can cause pelvic pain at any time, but often patients ask: Is ovulation more painful in patients who have endometriosis? Yes, it certainly can be, endometriosis symptoms vary from patient to patient.
Is Endometriosis More Painful During Ovulation?
We know endometriosis lesions can attach to any location in the pelvis and can form scar tissues and adhesions. Scar tissues and adhesions can form and even cause different organs to be “stuck” together, from your bowel, bladder, uterus, fallopian tubes, muscular structures and even both your ovaries – causing a phenomenon known as “kissing ovaries.”
If you have an endometriosis lesion in your fallopian tube, it can cause narrowing or even blockage of the tube itself. Patients with endometriosis can have ovarian cysts filled with blood called endometriomas which are often referred to as “chocolate cysts.”
This process of ovulation involves your ovaries and fallopian tubes and usually occurs 2-weeks prior to your upcoming menstrual cycle. The presence of endometriosis on or around the ovaries or fallopian tubes can cause patients to experience pain during ovulation.
While some pain during ovulation can be normal in the female population, symptoms that are prolonged or more severe may point us in the direction of underlying endometriosis.
Endometriosis and Ovulation Pain
Understanding your cycle, and how endometriosis may impact you differently during ovulation is one step. Paying attention to your symptoms is another.
Ovulation pain symptoms may include:
- Intense or prolonged pelvic pain for more than 48 hours
- Pain that causes nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Abnormal bleeding during ovulation
It is important to discuss and address these symptoms with your physician, at PRM we take a very detailed history and specifically focus on your menstrual cycle bleeding patterns, pain, regularity, and flow among other questions. This information is very important and helps us formulate an individualized treatment plan for you.
At Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine, 70% of our female patients have endometriosis. Many arrive at our clinics with symptoms of endometriosis without a diagnosis or any knowledge of the disease. Our providers are on the “front lines” of educating patients and healthcare providers throughout the country on the disease process.
