How is endometriosis diagnosed?

There is no simple test to diagnose endometriosis. The only sure way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy and excision of the suspected tissue at the same time⁸, since visual diagnosis may be wrong and what is thought to be endometriosis may be a different pathology⁹. A laparoscopy is an operation performed under a general anaesthetic. A small telescope (laparoscope) is inserted into the abdomen through a hole cut in the belly button. The laparoscope has a lens at one end that magnifies and lights up the pelvic organs, so that the gynaecologist can look for endometrial implants and cysts within the pelvis.

There are degrees of the condition depending on the amount of endometriosis seen and the degree of scarring. Endometriosis may be classified as mild, moderate or severe; or by Stages I through to IV¹⁰. It is not possible to accurately diagnose endometriosis from your symptoms and an external examination alone¹¹. The symptoms of endometriosis vary widely and many of them are easily confused with other conditions. For example, many women experiencing bowel symptoms are first misdiagnosed with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome or spastic colon.

There are other (non surgical) tests that a gynaecologist may perform, including a pelvic/vaginal examination, ultrasound, IL 6 & 8¹², CA125 (an ovarian tumour marker)¹³ or MRI scan¹⁴, however none of these are able to definitely confirm endometriosis.

Fact Sheet

 Endometriosis  91.72 Kb

Content updated 30 November 2011