Endometriosis is one of the more common disorders that affect women's health. This condition occurs when uterine tissue is located in other parts of the body where it is not supposed to be. These abnormal tissues, referred to as endometrial lesions, typically develop on other parts of the abdomen, but they are not limited to this area. While endometriosis is a relatively common disorder that women suffer from in varying degree of severity, it is commonly confused with a heavy period since some of its symptoms include heavy bleeding and debilitating menstrual cramps. However, it is crucial to have this condition diagnosed so that you can manage it with medical intervention. This piece lists a couple of symptoms that should have you see a gynaecologist for potentially-undiagnosed endometriosis.

Chronic gastrointestinal problems

A typical symptom of endometriosis that you could develop is chronic gastrointestinal problems such as constipation, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and more. Nevertheless, some women may simply self-diagnose as having irritable bowel syndrome when they have this condition. If you do not have this confirmed by a medical professional, you will not be able to treat the gastrointestinal issues if they are being caused by endometriosis. It is imperative to see a gynaecologist so that they can determine if you indeed have endometrial lesions and advise you on the way forward. A few of the treatment options that could be presented to you include dietary changes, medication or even surgery if the endometrial lesions are severe.

Failure to conceive

Another often-overlooked symptom of endometriosis is infertility. If you and your loved one have been trying to conceive for a while now and you have been unsuccessful, endometriosis could be a potential culprit for this. Although there is a myriad of other factors that could affect fertility, and some not even on a women's reproductive health perspective, it is still advisable to see a gynaecologist to rule this out. When you develop endometrial lesions, they tend to distort the fallopian tubes. As a result, the fallopian tubes lose their functionality of safely transporting the egg into the uterus. In addition to distortion of the fallopian tubes, your ovaries and uterus could also develop inflammation, which makes this an unhealthy environment for conception or the sustaining of a fertilised egg. Overall, it is advisable to have your gynaecologist check for endometriosis so you can establish if you need to start deliberating on IVF treatment.