{"id":892982,"date":"2026-10-24T11:48:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T11:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/892982\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T11:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T11:48:14","slug":"what-are-the-lesser-known-symptoms-of-endometriosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/892982\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the lesser-known symptoms of endometriosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you think you know endometriosis, think again.<\/p>\n

Experts estimate<\/a> the disease affects more than 6.5 million US women. And yet it has become one of the most commonly missed diagnoses \u2014 even among gynecologists, endometriosis is still not fully understood or recognized.<\/p>\n

While the condition is notoriously known for causing pain and severe periods, there are lesser-known symptoms that can also indicate endometriosis, including major clinical red flags that go underreported due to stigma.<\/p>\n

Endometriosis is commonly associated with pain and \u201cbad periods,\u201d but there are other indicators that often go overlooked and dismissed by patients and health professionals. Rene La\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Consequently, it takes an average of 10 years to accurately diagnose endometriosis because its symptoms often overlap with other conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEndometriosis is a progressive, inflammatory disease, and leaving it unchecked is a gamble with your future health,\u201d Dr. Sheeva Talebian<\/a>, a reproductive endocrinologist at CCRM New York, told The Post.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything you need to know about these lesser-known symptoms.<\/p>\n

Beyond \u2018bad periods\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to look beyond the bad period headlines that people like to attribute to endometriosis,\u201d said Talebian. <\/p>\n

Take \u201cendo belly,\u201d for example: a severe, often painful form of abdominal swelling and distension so significant that a person can look several months pregnant by the end of the day.<\/p>\n

In addition to the distinct bulge, this symptom often comes with abdominal tightness, sharp or dull pain, constipation, diarrhea, excessive gas, nausea and pelvic or lower back pressure.<\/p>\n

This stems from systemic and local inflammation, endometrial-like tissue growing outside the uterus, gut microbial imbalances, visceral hypersensitivity and high comorbidity with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a sign of the immune system being in overdrive,\u201d explained Talebian.<\/p>\n

Experts estimate endometriosis affects more than 6.5 million US women. rob3000 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The swelling can flare up cyclically \u2014 most commonly in the weeks or days leading up to menstruation \u2014 or persist chronically throughout the entire month.<\/p>\n

Chronic fatigue is another fairly common symptom of endometriosis.<\/p>\n

Up to 75% of people with endometriosis reportedly<\/a> experience persistent, heavy exhaustion that severely impacts daily life.<\/p>\n

This is a real, physiological symptom \u2014 not laziness or a lack of sleep. It\u2019s caused by the body\u2019s constant effort to manage chronic inflammation: ectopic, endometrial-like tissue triggers the immune system to release inflammatory chemicals that drain cellular energy and cause a tranquilized or heavy-eyed feeling.<\/p>\n

The body\u2019s pain and nervous systems become overloaded, with constant pelvic pain keeping the nervous system trapped in a fight-or-flight stress response, altering cortisol rhythms and exhausting physical and emotional reserves. <\/p>\n

As a result, sleep disruptions often occur \u2014 including nighttime pain, frequent urination and fragmented sleep \u2014 preventing the body from ever fully recharging.<\/p>\n

Possible symptoms also perpetuating this chronic fatigue are iron deficiency anemia from heavy menstrual bleeding \u2014 which leads to severe weakness and brain fog \u2014 and mental and emotional overwhelm that comes with managing a chronic, often misunderstood condition \u2014 which further amplifies physical exhaustion.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be very clear, when a provider dismisses your symptoms as \u2018stress\u2019 or \u2018just a bad period,\u2019 they are ignoring the biological data your body is sending,\u201d said Talebian.<\/p>\n

Two taboo red flags<\/p>\n

According to Talebian, painful intercourse (dyspareunia) and pain with bowel movements or urination (dyschezia and dysuria) are major clinical red flags that a person might have endometriosis.<\/p>\n

More than half of individuals with endometriosis are affected by dyspareunia, a deep, aching or sharp pain in the lower pelvis during deep vaginal penetration. Dyschezia, dysuria \u2014 frequently misdiagnosed as IBS or UTIs, respectively \u2014 and dyspareunia are classic symptoms of deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), where endometrial-like tissue grows on or near the bowel, bladder or ureters.<\/p>\n

Painful intercourse and pain with bowel movements or urination are major clinical red flags that go underreported due to stigma. bongkarn \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The displaced tissue responds to hormonal changes during menstrual cycles, bleeding and causing intense inflammation, swelling and scarring.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor too long, we\u2019ve conditioned women to believe that debilitating pain is normal,\u201d said Talebian. <\/p>\n

For women who have encountered dismissive health professionals, she recommends going into their next appointment with a game plan.<\/p>\n

Find the right expertise: Not every doctor is trained to connect the dots of complex endometriosis. If you aren\u2019t being heard, you may need to pivot to a reproductive endocrinologist or an endometriosis specialist, centering your quality of life as the primary medical outcome.<\/p>\n

Lead with your data: Track your pain, your cycle and your digestion to demonstrate a pattern. When you can show a provider that your symptoms are cyclical, they will have the evidence they need to look deeper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a provider dismisses your pain as \u2018normal,\u2019 let that be your signal to find a new member for your care team,\u201d said Talebian. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou deserve a clinician who looks at the data, validates your experience and uses the tools we have to help you thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you think you know endometriosis, think again. Experts estimate the disease affects more than 6.5 million US…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":892983,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[4528,186,97,288909,22961],"class_list":["post-892982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-womens-health","tag-exclusive","tag-health","tag-menstruation","tag-reproduction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}