What to look out for: the condition that takes 8 years on average to diagnose

As a woman, how many times have you been told that period pain is simply something you should “put up with” or that it’s just “all part of being a woman”?



In reality, if you’re suffering with severe period pain, it could be an indicator that you have endometriosis.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a chronic health condition that affects 1 in 10 UK women.

It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body. Depending on what stage of endometriosis you might have, they range from stage 1 (minimal) to stage 4 (severe), the tissue can be found on the fallopian tubes, bladder, bowel and/or other organs in your pelvic area.

Endometrial tissue can also be found in the ovary, where it can form cysts, which are aptly named ‘chocolate cysts’ because of their appearance.

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Let’s look at the symptoms of endometriosis

The most common endometriosis signs and symptoms include:

• Stomach pain
• Painful and heavy periods
• Infertility
• Pain during or after sex
• Painful bowel movements
• Fatigue 

The symptoms for endometriosis can vary in severity and are not always just the above (you may not even experience symptoms for endometriosis). According to Endometriosis UK, the UK’s leading endometriosis charity, the following more uncommon symptoms of endometriosis have also been reported:

• Pain on ovulation
• Pain during an internal examination
• Depression
• Tiredness/lack of energy
• Bleeding from the bowel
• Pain when passing urine
• Fainting during periods/feeling faint
• Leg pain
• Back pain
• 'Spotting' or bleeding between periods

Your life insurance policy could help

When you take out a life insurance policy, many of the UK’s leading insurers include free additional benefits* with your cover. One of the free benefits that many of the top insurers offer is access to free 24/7 online GP appointments.

If you use this service, you can arrange an appointment (typically the same day), where you’ll be seen by a UK-based GP from the comfort of your own home. When you describe your symptoms, the online GP may suspect you have endometriosis.

If this is the case, they could provide you with a pre diagnosis so that if/when you go to your own GP, it could help speed along the process of getting diagnosed.

What causes endometriosis?

At this stage, there is sadly no known cause for endometriosis.

There are several theories as to why women develop endometriosis, such as; genetics or a problem with the immune system. The NHS website says that none of these theories fully explain why endometriosis happens - the reality is that it’s probably a combination of several different factors.

What’s normal when it comes to period pain?

It can be hard to know what’s normal for your period because every woman is different. Recent research from Endometriosis UK showed that 24% of women asked said that they think that painful periods are a normal part of life and 23% don’t think it’s serious enough to bother a doctor with.

As time goes on, you’ll grow to learn what’s normal for your body and the longer you have a menstrual cycle but according to the NHS, whilst pain on your period is considered normal, if you’ve always struggled with high levels of pain during your menstrual cycle then it might be time to seek help from your GP, as it could be a sign of an underlying health condition such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or ovarian cysts.

When to go to your GP

Endometriosis UK recently asked a group of women what would be the main reason they would put off going to the doctor if experiencing painful periods that interfere with their day-to-day activities. Just over 20% of those asked said they didn't think their doctor would take them seriously.

If a lot of these signs and symptoms sound familiar, don't be put off going to your GP because of diagnosis delays, embarrassment, or anything else. To increase your chances of getting referred to a gynaecologist by your GP for suspected endometriosis, you could try the following:

• Keep a pain and symptom diary to see if you can track any pattern with your symptoms
• Just out right ASK. There is nothing wrong with being upfront with your GP, if you suspect that you may have endometriosis, ask to be referred to a specialist and see what they say
• If your GP doesn’t refer you, then you can ask to see another GP
• Don’t be afraid to keep going back, if you suspect you have an underlying health condition such as endometriosis
• Ask for a cancer antigen 125 test (CA125). The symptoms for endometriosis and ovarian cancer can be similar, if you have either, this test could help you get a referral
  
  

Is there a cure for endometriosis?

There is sadly not yet a cure for endometriosis but don’t let that deter you from seeing your GP and pushing for a diagnosis.

If you’re struggling to come to terms with your diagnosis and the reality of living with this condition, then you might be interested to know that if you have a life insurance policy with one of the UK’s top insurers, you might be able to access free mental health support with your cover.

Depending on who your policy is with, you could be able to access four therapy sessions a year (AIG), wellbeing support benefits (Legal and General), or personal nurses who are qualified to help you with long term mental illness and trauma (Scottish Widows).

The above are just a few examples of the free additional benefits you might be able to access, to find out more about what the top providers offer click here to read our benefits roundup.

Keeping on top of your symptoms

It all depends on your unique circumstances but there is some research to suggest that changes in your lifestyle and diet can help manage your symptoms. There is no set ‘endometriosis diet’ but here are some of the suggestions of what to avoid:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Gluten
• Red meat
• Saturated and trans fat
  
  

If you can, try and add some of the following to your diet to see if they can have a positive affect on your endometriosis:

• Fibrous foods; such as fruits, vegetables, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, peanuts) and whole grains (barley, brown rice, quinoa)
• Foods rich in fatty acids like; salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, herring, trout, chia seeds, flax seeds
• Iron rich foods; such as dark leafy greens, broccoli, nuts, and seeds
• Antioxidant rich foods such as; oranges, berries, dark chocolate, spinach, carrots and potatoes Whether you’ve had endometriosis for years or you’ve just recently been diagnosed, trial and error with your diet can’t hurt, so why not give it a go and see if your symptoms improve. 

*Free benefits are not contractual and can be removed at any time