The condition of Endometriosis (Endo for short) is when there is tissue similar to endometrial lining (tissue inside your uterus that is responsible for period bleed) is found outside of the uterus. This tissue is sometimes referred to as adhesions by some doctors, and can be found in or around other organs like the bladder and bowel.
The gold standard for diagnosis of Endo is by doing an investigative laparoscopy. The surgeon specialist would have a strong suspicion of the condition based on the patient’s presenting symptoms, and would then do a keyhole procedure to search for Endo tissue in the abdomen or pelvic cavity to confirm the diagnosis. However, with advanced technology nowadays, it can be possible for a few expertly-trained sonographers to observe presence of Endo tissue using a special, very high-resolution ultrasound technology.
Endo might present differently for different people. But some common symptoms include:
- extremely painful and heavy periods,
- irregular period cycles
- diffuse pains and aches in the abdomen, pelvis, lower back and legs. Pain can be worse during ovulation, and/or leading up to periods, and/or during periods
- bladder and/or bowel dysfunction,
- pain with sex,
- extreme fatigue,
- difficulties with fertility and conception
But it is known that Endo can also present with no symptoms at all in some people.
Physiotherapy is often a large portion of Endometriosis treatment and involves:
- manual therapy for addressing musculoskeletal factors contributing to symptoms,
- optimizing pelvic floor muscle function,
- understanding of pain mechanisms and developing effective pain management strategies,
- bladder management and retraining,
- bowel management and retraining,
- sexual function optimization
Adriane Khabulyuk, Physiotherapist
Call 9089 6666 to speak with one of our pelvic health physiotherapists or book a consult.