How common is the symptom Blood in stool among people with endometriosis?
31,67% of people with endometriosis reported Blood in stool as a symptom of endometriosis in our survey.
How common is the symptom Blood in stool among people with endometriosis compared to the non-affected group?
2,32% of people with endometriosis suffer from the symptom Blood in stool very strong compared to a prevalence of 0,00% among non-affected individuals.
The following table shows the symptom Blood in stool in people with endometriosis compared to non-affected individuals. The scale ranges from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very strong).
| Symptom severity | Endometriosis | Non-affected | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| not at all | 68,33% | 89,87% | -21,54% |
| slightly | 11,83% | 8,23% | 3,61% |
| moderate | 11,08% | 0,63% | 10,45% |
| strong | 6,44% | 1,27% | 5,17% |
| very strong | 2,32% | 0,00% | 2,32% |
Based on the datasets, we calculated the Kendall correlation. The following symptoms could be related to Blood in stool.
| Symptom name | Correlation |
|---|---|
| Pain during bowel movements | moderate correlation (30,00%) |
| Blood in urine | weak correlation (25,00%) |
| Verstopfung | weak correlation (21,00%) |
Blood in the stool can have many causes. Depending on the color and amount of blood, such admixtures may indicate uncomfortable but generally harmless hemorrhoids, or they may point to colorectal cancer. However, blood in the urine can also be a symptom of endometriosis. This is the case when an endometriosis lesion is located inside the rectum. These are overgrowths of tissue that resemble the endometrium. Like the uterine lining itself, the ectopic tissue is regulated by the hormonal cycle. Accordingly, the endometriosis lesion grows during the cycle and is then broken down again. If the endometriosis lesions are superficial and located within the bowel, the blood is simply excreted together with the stool.
In addition to blood in the stool, bowel endometriosis can trigger other symptoms. These include digestive complaints such as diarrhea and constipation, mucus in the stool, pain during bowel movements, abdominal bloating, and even food intolerances. However, endometriosis lesions do not always occur inside the rectum. They are often located on the outside of the rectum, particularly in the area between the rectum and the vagina. In these cases, the blood does not pass through the bowel to the outside but instead collects within the body. Bowel endometriosis is therefore not necessarily associated with blood in the stool.
An initial indication that the blood in the stool originates from an endometriosis lesion inside the rectum is that the bleeding is cycle-dependent. That means the blood admixtures occur only in connection with your period. Due to the anatomical proximity, however, it can be difficult to determine whether fresh blood during a bowel movement originates from the rectum or whether it is menstrual blood. The diagnostic work-up of endometriosis lesions in the rectum is therefore performed through medical history, manual examination and ultrasound, as well as MRI. A colonoscopy allows for more detailed evaluation with tissue sampling (biopsy). Treatment depends on the location and size of the endometriosis lesion as well as the extent of bleeding.