What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a difficult, but common, condition that only effects women. It is most commonly diagnosed in women between 30 and 40 years of age.

It is the abnormal growth of cells (endometrial cells) outside the uterus, which causes a chronic inflammatory reaction.  Unfortunately the causes of endometriosis are unknown.

Endometriosis UK says that “Despite costing the UK economy £8.2 billion annually, being the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK and affecting 1 in 10 women in the UK  (1.5 million), it takes an average of 7.5 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis.”   

Signs and symptoms of endometriosis

Symptoms typically start after several years of painless periods and can include:

• Chronic pelvic pain, usually before or during a period
• Painful, heavy or irregular periods
• Pain during sex or after sex
• Unexplained sub-fertility
• Painful bowel movements
• Tiredness
• Other non-gynaecological symptoms, such as rectal pain and bleeding, could indicate recto-vaginal endometriosis – the most severe form of endometriosis that infiltrates the vagina, rectum, and the rectovaginal septum

All of the above symptoms are common for many other conditions and do not mean that you have endometriosis. If you have any of the above symptoms it is still essential that you go to your GP so that the cause can be identified and the symptoms treated as soon as possible.

Diagnosis

Your GP may treat you with medication to ease the pain, such as paracetamol and/or ibuprofen or naproxen, as well as hormonal treatment such as oral contraception.

However, your GP may still refer you to a gynaecologist if:

• There is no improvement in your symptoms after a 3–6 month trial of treatment.
• You suffer severe or longstanding symptoms.
• There are concerns about future fertility, or you have current problems trying to conceive.
• Any abnormalities are found on clinical examination or pelvic ultrasound scan.

Endometriosis can only be diagnosed with a laparoscopy (keyhole surgery that is carried out under general anaesthetic) and a small sample of tissue is taken for testing and histological confirmation.

How can Graysons help?

It is possible that your symptoms were not fully, or not appropriately,  investigated and you may have been wrongly advised to undergo unnecessary surgery, such as a sub-total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.  This could have resulted in early menopause and the potential future complications associated with it.

Here at Graysons we recognise the devastating effect that such events can have. We understand the importance of compensation to you as it can greatly improve quality of life for you and your family and provide the care and security that is needed.

If you would like to talk to a member of our specialist medical negligence team then please contact us for a confidential and free discussion today.

Get advice and support from Endometriosis SHE Trust UK and Endometriosis UK

Find out more about obstetrics and gynaecological claims on our web pages.