Endometriosis - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Although endometriosis is the most commonly diagnosed uterine disorder, it is often misdiagnosed or missed altogether. In a study of women with proven endometriosis, more than half of them had been told by a doctor that nothing was wrong. In another study, half of women with endometriosis reported that they visited a doctor five or more times before they were diagnosed.

General Approach to Diagnosing Endometriosis

Endometriosis frequently begins to develop in adolescence, but it is not typically diagnosed until a woman is in her mid-20s or early 30s. There are a number of reasons for this:

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• The symptoms vary widely, and sometimes do not occur at all. Some women do not know they have endometriosis until they fail to become pregnant and seek help for infertility.
• Pain in the pelvic or abdominal area can be caused by so many conditions that it is often difficult to pin down the precise cause.

Endometriosis should be highly suspected in women with severe menstrual cramps who are also infertile. Laparoscopy, an invasive diagnostic procedure, is the only definitive method for diagnosing endometriosis. However, a trial using one of several hormonal therapies is usually sufficient to confirm or rule out endometriosis. Such drugs include danazol, GnRH agonists, and progestins.

Ruling out Conditions with Similar Symptoms

Many conditions cause pelvic pain. In many cases, the cause is unknown and it often resolves on its own. In one study, pelvic pain improved or resolved without treatment in 77% of women over a 15-month period. However, some causes of pelvic pain can be serious and should be ruled out during a work-up for endometriosis.

Primary Dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is recurrent pelvic pain associated with menstruation. Dysmenorrhea is common in many women. [For more information on dysmenorrhea, see In-Depth Report #100: Menstrual disorders.]

Adenomyosis. A condition called adenomyosis occurs when nodules (knots) of endometrial tissue develop within the deep muscle layers of the uterus. This disorder is often classified with endometriosis, but it actually is a difference disease. (Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue grows and functions outside the uterus.) Adenomyosis is a significant cause of severe pelvic pain and menstrual irregularities. Until recently this was only diagnosed after a hysterectomy, but advanced imaging techniques using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging scans may be able to detect it.