If your endometrium tissue that lines your uterus begins to grow outside the uterus, you can experience a painful condition. This condition is a common cause of infertility and should be addressed as soon as possible by experts such as Dr. Ulas Bozdogan, an endometriosis specialist in New Jersey. Although mild cases of this condition may not cause noticeable symptoms, endometriosis can be very painful, causing several pain types. Here are the top five pains caused by the condition.
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Painful Cramps
If you have endometriosis, you can experience extremely painful cramps during your periods and between them. In normal conditions, menstrual cramps occur as discomfort or pain before your period and dissipate around four days after your period starts. However, every woman is unique, and this might not be the case always. Nevertheless, this pattern changes when you have endometriosis. The hormonal changes during your menstruation trigger the endometriosis lesions to bleed. Besides, it is not uncommon that you can experience painful cramps even if you are not experiencing your periods.
Intense Belly Pain
As noted earlier, this condition occurs when your endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, and it can grow on your ovaries. This can cause cysts on your ovaries, leading to a sharp, intense pain around your abdomen. Although this pain can also be dull, stabbing, and aching, it can leave you incapacitated in most cases.
Though abdominal pain is a common condition that other complications can also cause, it is not just a vague symptom. It deserves attention as you could be dealing with endometriosis.
Painful Intercourse
If you have endometriosis, you can experience pain during sex. This is because sexual activity can irritate the endometrial lesions inflaming them, making pain during sex a classic symptom. Therefore, although you can still experience pain during intercourse due to various reasons, pay attention to the experience and visit your provider as soon as possible to diagnose your condition. Note how often you experience the pain and the intensity. This pain isn’t just an indicator of the underlying condition, it can affect your relationships, and it should be handled as soon as possible.
Pain When You Have a Bowel Movement
Sometimes endometriosis can cause pain that you experience when you use the bathroom. How this pain manifests will depend on where the endometrium lesions are in the body. Therefore, you can experience the pain when you pee if the lesions are around your bladder, or you can experience the pain when you make a bowel movement if they are around your large intestines.
Lower Back and Leg Pain
In rare cases, endometriosis can affect your sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body. The nerve which runs from your lower back through your hips to your legs can cause several symptoms when affected, including radiating pain in your lower back and legs. You can also experience some tingling sensations and pressure in your lower back and your legs. Experts say that if nerve pain is present and you have endometriosis, it means that the condition can be prevalent in other areas of your pelvis.
If you are experiencing any of the above pains, don’t hesitate to seek immediate medical attention to diagnose endometriosis. There are approaches to manage this condition and get you back to your quality life.