How Do I Know If I have Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a fairly common disorder in which 1 in 10 women have. When you hear about this condition you can not help but wonder, do I have endometriosis? We had The Lady Doctors answer this question: 

How Do I Know If I have Endometriosis? 

The most common symptom is pain. Pain with periods. Pain without periods. Pain with sex. Pain with bowel movements. Pain with exams. There are degrees of endometriosis based on how deep the implants are and how much scar tissue is present, and therefore there are degrees of pain. Women with endometriosis also can have very heavy periods. Another common reason women come in is not pain or heavy periods, but because of the inability to get pregnant.
Is there a test that can help diagnose endometriosis?
There is no test that helps us diagnose endometriosis. Unfortunately women seek help over and over again for pain or heavy periods. The only way to get a firm diagnosis is surgery, where we look inside the pelvis and can see the implants with our eyes. Sometimes, we can see a cyst on ultrasound in the ovaries. Sometimes we just diagnose endometriosis based on symptoms. But, having said all of this, diagnosis is not easy.
How do you treat endometriosis?
We usually treat it with anti-inflammatory medications, hormones like birth controls pills or the shot, or surgery. There are a few other options of medications that can be used, but these can have a lot of side effects

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