Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Endometriosis

After my first surgery in 2002, everything went back to normal. At first. A year or two later, I started having stomach problems. Every time I ate certain kinds of food, I suffered from stomach spasms. My stomach spasms were extremely painful that even if I took pain medication, the pain would still persist.  The pain I felt was as if my stomach and intestines were being twisted inside me. During the moments when I was having my stomach spasms or stomach cramps, my stomach could not hold anything down.  Not even water.  I vomited everything that went into my stomach.  After a day or two without having food or water, my stomach would just calm down, and my digestion would just go back to normal. I would usually take pain medication or hyoscine butyl bromide (most common brand is Buscopan) to calm my stomach spasms.

I visited a gastroenterologist, and I was told that I have gastrointestinal allergies, since I only reacted to certain kinds of food.  So, I went to an allergologist and had an allergy test. I was and still am allergic to all sorts of food: onion, cabbage, wheat bread, guava, chicken, seafood, etc.

After I was made aware of my allergies, I regulated my food intake.  I was able to manage my gastrointestinal allergies, and my stomach spasms.  Though there were times that my stomach spasms would be so intense that I was hospitalized a few times.

Bowel symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, or GI symptoms, are common in women with endometriosis. According to a study, 60% of women diagnosed with endometriosis have gastrointestinal symptoms. Another study indicates that it is actually 90% of women with endo who have GI symptoms. In fact, some of these women were diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and other gastrointestinal conditions.  Well, some of these women really have GI conditions, but it is only later on that they were properly diagnosed as having endometriosis.

The cause of GI symptoms can be one of two things: endometriosis has affected the bowel itself, or endometrial growth or lesions are near the bowel.  So far, after several ultrasounds and surgeries, there was no indication that my bowels have endometrial lesions or growth.  My endo only affected my reproductive system.  But still, I have GI symptoms, which include: stomach cramps or spasms, indigestion, bloating, and constipation. There are other GI symptoms but the ones I mentioned are the only ones I experienced.

What do all these mean for women? If you are experiencing GI symptoms, visit both a gastroenterologist and an ob-gyn.  It is possible that you indeed have a GI condition like IBS, but it is also very possible that you have endometriosis.

Links: Why did I need this surgery? Check out my previous post here: I Have Endometriosis: The Diagnosis

Sources:
Sinervo, Ken. (2018). Endometriosis and Bowel Symptoms. Center for Endometriosis Care. Retrieved from http://centerforendo.com/endometriosis-and-bowel-symptoms

Orbuch, Iris. (2020). Endometriosis and Gastrointestinal Symptoms. Retrieved from https://www.lagyndr.com/endometriosis/endometriosis-and-gastrointestinal-symptoms/