Common Co-Conditions
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Endometriosis can occur with other common co-conditions or pain generators
Some co-conditions could be:
- adenomyosis
- pelvic floor dysfunction
- interstitial cystitis/ painful bladder syndrome
- SIBO
- vulvodynia
- myofascial pelvic pain
- pudendal neuralgia
- occult hernia
- fibroids
- pelvic congestion syndrome
- fibromyalgia
- inflammatory bowel disease
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- vascular compression syndromes
- mast cell activation syndrome
Many people with endometriosis have co-conditions. But true co-conditions are different than misdiagnoses. For example, we might have endometriosis and intersticial cystitis, or those urinary symptoms could really just be endometriosis symptoms. It’s important to know that not all symptoms are endometriosis, but also, misdiagnoses are common in people with endometriosis.
Figuring out co-conditions – my experience
Prior to my excision, I knew that I likely had fibromyalgia and Interstitial Cystitis, but I found it really difficult to distinguish those symptoms from the endometriosis symptoms, because it was all just a giant black hole of pain, fatigue, symptoms, and misery all the time. Not to mention, all these conditions impacted each other. For example, my bladder symptoms and full body fibromyalgia pain really worsened during my period. My bladder symptoms and full body fibromyalgia pain also made it difficult to sleep, and lack of sleep influenced my endometriosis symptoms and caused me to flare.
Excision surgery lessened my inflammation, which improved my co-conditions significantly. It was only post excision that I’ve been able to tease apart which pain, urinary, and digestive symptoms were endometriosis vs another condition, and this has allowed me to start addressing my co-conditions and see progress with reducing more symptoms.