Endometriosis

Uterus lining tissue can sometimes grow in parts of the pelvis that it shouldn't, such as the:

• Ovaries
• Fallopian tubes
• Bladder
• Bowel
• Other parts of the body

If your endometriosis involves your ovaries, cysts known as endometriomas can form. Other small lumps can form, called endometrial nodules. These can hurt a lot.

People with endometriosis often have a lot of inflammation and pain during their period. This is because their uterus lining tissue bleeds during their period — including the tissue that is growing in the wrong parts of their body.   

Learn more at Endometriosis New Zealand

We don’t know exactly why endometriosis happens. At the moment, it looks like there is a lot of different reasons that people get endometriosis.

What we do know is: if people in your family have endometriosis, it’s more likely that you will too. Often endometriosis isn’t diagnosed — so your family members might not even know that they have it. 

Pain is the most common symptom of endometriosis. People with undiagnosed endometriosis often think that their pain is normal. The truth is — even if your period pain is normal — you don’t have to put up with it if you don’t want to. Make an appointment with us, and we can talk about your options.

This pain can be:

• Pain and cramping during your period — in your pelvis, lower back, and tummy
• Pain during, or after, sex
• Pain going to the toilet during your period
• A history of painful periods that have not been helped by using hormonal contraception
• Pain that gets worse every time you have your period 

Some other symptoms of endometriosis are:

• Tiredness
• Problems with your bowels, such as bloating, diarrhoea, or constipation — this is sometimes diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Problems with your bladder
• Difficulty getting pregnant
• A pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) diagnosis plus some of the other symptoms of endometriosis

Endometriosis can be treated and managed — it can’t be cured.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to begin treatment.

There are lots of treatments for endometriosis. Your treatment will depend on your symptoms, where your endometriosis is, and if you want to have children. You can make an appointment with us to work out what treatments you want to try.

Endometriosis can be treated with: 

• The combined oral contraceptive pill, taken continuously 
• Other hormonal contraceptives, such as Depo Provera 
• A hormonal intra uterine device (IUD), such as Mirena 
• Pain medication 
• Surgery — laparoscopic surgery is the most common option