Endometriosis awareness month has arrived! Here is a week’s worth of shareable information. Another good link to share is our basic all About Endometriosis that has short and to the point information about endometriosis as well as links for more info. Keep that endo conversation going!
For more information, see:
Ultrasounds: https://nancysnookendo.com/ultrasound-use-with-endometriosis/
MRI’s: https://nancysnookendo.com/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mris-and-endometriosis/
Negative scans do NOT rule out endometriosis: https://nancysnookendo.com/but-your-tests-are-all-negative/
While researchers are working to create a reliable test and there are promising ones in development, at this point there are none widely available. Also, response or no response to hormonal medications has NOT been proven to be reliable to diagnose endometriosis. For more info, see: https://nancysnookendo.com/labwork-and-blood-tests/ and https://nancysnookendo.com/but-your-tests-are-all-negative/
When performing surgery, it is important for the surgeon to be familiar with both all the appearances and indications of endometriosis as well as all the locations it might be found. For more info, see: https://nancysnookendo.com/the-many-appearances-of-endo/
Endometriosis can be found in many places both in the pelvis and outside of the pelvis. For more info, see: https://nancysnookendo.com/locations-of-endometriosis/ and https://nancysnookendo.com/weird-places-endometriosis-has-been-found/
Endometriosis can cause significant pain even if surgery finds “minimal” lesions. The pain can be from inflammation, nerve irritation, and changes in the myofascia. For more info, see: https://nancysnookendo.com/pain-its-complicated/ ; https://nancysnookendo.com/what-influences-pain-levels/ ; https://nancysnookendo.com/pain-associated-with-minimal-endometriosis/
Fatigue can significantly impact those with endometriosis. This fatigue can come from inflammation, which can lead to pain which can lead to sleep problems, stress, and depression….which can lead to more fatigue. See more at: https://nancysnookendo.com/fast-facts-fatigue-with-endometriosis/
Endometriosis patients are often diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While there can be an overlap in the two conditions, endometriosis can cause symptoms similar to IBS. For more info, see: https://nancysnookendo.com/bowel-gi-endometriosis/