We have been looking at some of the related conditions that can cause overlapping symptoms with endometriosis. This is important because, if you only treat one condition and not the others, this can lead to continued symptoms and a great deal of discouragement. Another condition with overlapping symptoms with endometriosis is uterine fibroids (leiomyomas).
Fibroids are benign tumors of the smooth muscle cells of the uterus with symptoms that can range from being asymptomatic to having “abnormal uterine bleeding, specifically in terms of heavy and prolonged bleeding” as well as pain with penetration and non-cyclic pelvic pain (Zimmermann et al., 2012). They can also affect fertility and cause urinary dysfunction (Fortin, Flyckt, & Falcone, 2018).
There has not been much research on the correlation between endometriosis and fibroids. One study reports “an incidence of concomitant fibroids and endometriosis ranging between 12 and 20%, based on 2 previously published studies” (Nezhat et al., 2016). A small study that looked at patients with abnormal uterine bleeding found that “of the 208 patients with the presenting chief concern of symptomatic leiomyoma and who underwent surgical therapy, 181 had concomitant diagnoses of leiomyoma and endometriosis” (Nezhat et al., 2016). Another study looking at those with infertility found (by using ultrasound findings) the “diagnosis of fibroids was made in 3.1% of cases, adenomyosis was found in 21.2%, and the co-existence of both uterine disorders with endometriosis was reported in 14.6% of patients” (Capezzuoli et al., 2020). Nezhat et al. (2016) states that “because of the significant overlap of symptoms, it is often difficult to discern which pathology is responsible for the patient’s complaints” and recommends “a high level of suspicion for endometriosis before and during surgery in these women, with the goal of treating both pathologies in a single surgery.”
For more information see: https://nancysnookendo.com/learning-library/related-conditions/lessons/fibroids/
References
Capezzuoli, T., Vannuccini, S., Fantappiè, G., Orlandi, G., Rizzello, F., Coccia, M. E., & Petraglia, F. (2020). Ultrasound findings in infertile women with endometriosis: evidence of concomitant uterine disorders. Gynecological Endocrinology, 36(9), 808-812. https://doi.org/10.1080/09513590.2020.1736027
Fortin, C., Flyckt, R., & Falcone, T. (2018). Alternatives to hysterectomy: the burden of fibroids and the quality of life. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 46, 31-42. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521693417301487
Nezhat, C., Li, A., Abed, S., Balassiano, E., Soliemannjad, R., Nezhat, A., … & Nezhat, F. (2016). Strong association between endometriosis and symptomatic leiomyomas. JSLS: Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, 20(3). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5019190/
Zimmermann, A., Bernuit, D., Gerlinger, C., Schaefers, M., & Geppert, K. (2012). Prevalence, symptoms and management of uterine fibroids: an international internet-based survey of 21,746 women. BMC women’s health, 12(1), 1-11. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1472-6874-12-6