Frequently Asked Questions About Endometriosis
How painful is endometriosis?
Endometriosis can cause severe pain in some cases and not cause any symptoms in others. Patients may experience pelvic pain, painful periods or pain with intercourse. The variation in pain levels may be due to where endometriosis lesions are located in the body. Learn more about endometriosis pain and other endometriosis symptoms.
How do I know if I have endometriosis?
Endometriosis can only be definitively diagnosed through laparoscopic surgery. Signs and symptoms of the condition may lead doctors to assume endometriosis is present, but they can only give an official diagnosis after the disease is removed and biopsied after surgery. Learn more about diagnosing endometriosis.
What happens if endometriosis is left untreated?
Untreated endometriosis will likely continue to spread throughout the body, causing more pain and other severe symptoms over time. Treatment is likely to be more complicated the longer it is delayed.
Can endometriosis be treated without birth control?
Birth control can help to temporarily manage endometriosis symptoms, but it does not treat the condition. The recommended treatment for endometriosis is minimally invasive endometriosis excision surgery. Learn about the various treatment options for endometriosis and find out which is right for you.
Is it possible to have endometriosis and adenomyosis at the same time?
Yes, it is possible to have both endometriosis and adenomyosis at the same time. The two conditions have similar signs and symptoms, and they are often misdiagnosed as other pelvic or gastrointestinal conditions. For this reason, it’s best to be evaluated by a GYN specialist to get a clear diagnosis.
