What’s all the buzz about the bowel?

Yes, it could.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) like symptoms are common with endometriosis- up to 85% of endometriosis patients have gastrointestinal/bowel symptoms (Aragon & Lessey, 2017; Ek et al., 2015). It can be difficult to distinguish if it is endometriosis causing the IBS-like symptoms or if IBS is occurring along with endometriosis. Ek (2019) noted that “several potential shared pathophysiological mechanisms exist between endometriosis and IBS, such as chronic low-grade inflammation, increased mast cell numbers, increased mast cell activation, visceral hypersensitivity, altered gut microbiota and increased intestinal permeability, which has been described in relation to both endometriosis and IBS.” IBS symptoms can be helped with a low FODMAPs diet, and studies have noted that those with both IBS type symptoms AND endometriosis found improvement with a low FODMAPs diet (Moore et al., 2017). (See more info on bowel/GI endometriosis)

Endometriosis does not have to be on the bowel to cause bowel symptoms. Most of the time, symptoms may be due to irritation from lesions near the bowel (such as posterior cul de sac, Pouch of Douglas, uterosacral ligaments, etc.) or from adhesions pulling on the bowel (Aragon & Lessey, 2017; Ek et al., 2015).  The incidence of endometriosis on the bowel itself ranges from 5% to 12% of those with endometriosis (Habib et al., 2020).

When endometriosis does involve the bowel, it most often found on the sigmoid colon, “followed by the rectum, ileum, appendix, and caecum” (Charatsi et al., 2018). “Extremely rare locations that have been reported include the gallbladder, the Meckel diverticulum, stomach, and endometriotic cysts of the pancreas and liver” (Charatsi et al., 2018). It can be difficult to determine bowel involvement from symptoms alone. Symptoms can range from none to crampy abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, pain with bowel movements, nausea, vomiting, and rarely rectal bleeding (Charatsi et al., 2018). Symptoms may be acyclical (all month long) and then aggravated during your period (Charatsi et al., 2018).

If your surgeon is suspicious of bowel involvement, they may do imaging prior to surgery to help guide care. Transvaginal ultrasounds and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) can be useful in detecting bowel involvement (but don’t necessarily rule it out) (Guerriero  et al., 2018). According to one center that specializes in endometriosis surgery, “lesions on the colon, especially the distal sigmoid and rectum, I find ultrasound to be the most reliable” with the limitation that “it will only image the distal 20 cm of the colon, and lesions above that will be missed” (Pacific Endometriosis and Pelvic Surgery, n.d.). “For higher lesions on the sigmoid, the right colon, and small bowel then MRI is more accurate” (Pacific Endometriosis and Pelvic Surgery, n.d.).

Will surgery fix those IBS-like symptoms? It can be difficult to find studies that prove that. Mostly because  “surgical techniques are not standardized” (Wolthuis et al., 2014). However, one center that specializes in endometriosis surgery found (with questionnaires of their patients) that their patients saw an “80% reduction in most bowel symptoms” (Center for Endometriosis Care, 2020). This rate may not be found with general gynecology surgery. If you think you might have bowel involvement, it is important to find the right care. The success of surgery depends on the skills and experience of the surgeon and a multidisciplinary team. It is recommended that “surgery should be performed by experienced surgeons, in centres with access to multidisciplinary care” (Habib et al., 2020, para. 1). While hormonal medications have been shown to help relieve symptoms, it may not stop the progression of the disease which can lead, in severe cases, to bowel obstruction; therefore, it is recommended that close follow-up be utilized if you do not choose surgical treatment (Habib et al., 2020; Ferrero et al., 2011).

• Interested in more info on bowel endo care from the experts? See the Endo Summit’s videos found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJRkk4-6cSk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXUllhdW2h0
• For more on surgical technique for bowel endometriosis look here.
• You can search for surgeons with skill on bowel endometriosis here.
• Problems with pelvic floor dysfunction and other issues can also contribute to some symptoms- see Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

References

Aragon, M., & Lessey, B. A. (2017). Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Endometriosis: Twins in Disguise. GHS Proc, 43-50. Retrieved from https://hsc.ghs.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GHS-Proc-Ibs-And-Endometriosis.pdf

Center for Endometriosis Care. (2020). Bowel endometriosis. Retrieved from https://centerforendo.com/endometriosis-and-bowel-symptoms

Charatsi, D., Koukoura, O., Ntavela, I. G., Chintziou, F., Gkorila, G., Tsagkoulis, M., … & Daponte, A. (2018). Gastrointestinal and urinary tract endometriosis: a review on the commonest locations of extrapelvic endometriosis. Advances in medicine, 2018. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3461209

Ek, M. (2019). Gastrointestinal symptoms in women with endometriosis. Aspects of comorbidity, autoimmunity and inflammatory mechanisms (Doctoral dissertation, Lund University).

Ek, M., Roth, B., Ekström, P., Valentin, L., Bengtsson, M., & Ohlsson, B. (2015). Gastrointestinal symptoms among endometriosis patients—A case-cohort study. BMC women’s health, 15(1), 59. doi: 10.1186/s12905-015-0213-2

Ferrero, S., Camerini, G., Maggiore, U. L. R., Venturini, P. L., Biscaldi, E., & Remorgida, V. (2011). Bowel endometriosis: Recent insights and unsolved problems. World journal of gastrointestinal surgery, 3(3), 31. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3069336/

Guerriero, S., Saba, L., Pascual, M. A., Ajossa, S., Rodriguez, I., Mais, V., & Alcazar, J. L. (2018). Transvaginal ultrasound vs magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing deep infiltrating endometriosis: systematic review and meta‐analysis. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, 51(5), 586-595.  Retrieved from https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/uog.18961  

Habib, N., Centini, G., Lazzeri, L., Amoruso, N., El Khoury, L., Zupi, E., & Afors, K. (2020). Bowel Endometriosis: Current Perspectives on Diagnosis and Treatment. International Journal of Women’s Health, 12, 35. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6996110/

Moore, J. S., Gibson, P. R., Perry, R. E., & Burgell, R. E. (2017). Endometriosis in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: specific symptomatic and demographic profile, and response to the low FODMAP diet. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 57(2), 201-205. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/ajo.12594

Pacific Endometriosis and Pelvic Surgery. (n.d.) Bowel disease. Retrieved from https://pacificendometriosis.com/bowel-disease/?fbclid=IwAR1EVUZJHHVk7wvdGwTwJ6Mo8QICiY8ktRtCXIotvhQzKqvTqa0LSjEZs-k

Wolthuis, A. M., Meuleman, C., Tomassetti, C., D’Hooghe, T., van Overstraeten, A. D. B., & D’Hoore, A. (2014). Bowel endometriosis: colorectal surgeon’s perspective in a multidisciplinary surgical team. World Journal of Gastroenterology: WJG, 20(42), 15616. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i42.15616