Durchfall as a symptom of endometriosis

Durchfall in endometriosis

Diarrhea is a very non-specific symptom that can be triggered by many different diseases and causes. Nevertheless, diarrhea is among the symptoms that many women with endometriosis experience: according to studies, up to 90% of patients with endometriosis have digestive complaints in one form or another.

Endometriosis is a gynecological condition in which growths of tissue similar to the endometrium develop outside the uterus. These so-called endometriosis lesions primarily grow in the pelvis, including the area between the rectum and the vagina. About eight percent of women with endometriosis have so-called bowel endometriosis. In this condition, endometriotic lesions grow superficially on the bowel or infiltrate deeply into the bowel wall. Because the growths are subject to the menstrual cycle, they first build up and then bleed. The blood usually does not leave the body but remains in the abdominal cavity or in the tissue. In many women, this leads to inflammation, adhesions, scarring, and cysts.

So what is the specific link between endometriosis and diarrhea?

• Endometriosis is a systemic disease: Because the causes of endometriosis are still not fully understood, many connections cannot yet be explained conclusively. What is clear, however, is that most women with endometriosis experience digestive problems.
• Bowel endometriosis: In women who have endometriotic lesions on the bowel itself, digestive complaints are easier to explain. The lesions, bleeding, inflammation, and adhesions lead to irritation in the bowel that can trigger diarrhea.
• Irritable bowel syndrome: Studies show that women with endometriosis are significantly more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than other women. IBS causes, among other things, diarrhea.
• Food intolerances: These also occur significantly more often in women with endometriosis than in other women.
• Adhesions and scarring: As a result of endometriosis itself or due to surgeries to remove endometriotic lesions, adhesions and scarring of the bowel can occur. This restricts bowel function, which in turn can result in diarrhea.