How long can a woman have endometriosis before she gets diagnosed?


Is it possible for a woman to have endometriosis for a number of years before having it diagnosed? If so, will that interfer with child birth ( premature birth and miscarriages) and does it cause discharge and excessive clotting while having your cycle?

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  1. #1 by Endo - May 3rd, 2009 at 22:44

    Not only is it possible, it's the standard for women and girls with the disease, unfortunately. The average overall delay in diagnosis is a staggering NINE years, throughout the course of seeing FIVE different doctors before someone takes her pain seriously. It's a tragedy the way this disease is minimized and ignored overall. Undiagnosed/untreated Endo is a leading cause of female infertility and if left alone, can definitely cause the inability to conceive and/or miscarry. It's important to get early and EFFECTIVE treatment, early on…most women with Endo have pelvic pain and other signs of Endo during their teen years, but this often goes unaddressed. With proper treatment (see http://www.centerforendo.com for superior care), resolve of infertility and long-term symptom relief is totally possible. There are no long-terms studies addressing premature birth and Endo, but the ERC (www.endocenter.org) has anecdotal data showing complicated pregancies in a high number of their members with Endo. The discharge and clotting may be due in part to Endo but sounds more like adenomyosis, which is Endometriosis of the muscular lining of the uterus (myometrium). It is very common in women with pelvic and abdominal Endo. Good luck to you and remember you're not alone – help is out there. Check the sites I gave you.

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