Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract account for about 10% of all the illness in the United States. They account for more than 50 million office visits annually and nearly 10 million hospital admissions. Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS alone can trigger a whopping 3.5 million visits to a doctors office every year. However, endometriosis with IBS is a different case and is classified under different conditions.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is a very common gastrointestinal problem. About one in six otherwise healthy people report classic symptoms of IBS. It occurs more commonly in women than in men, and the cause is still unknown.

Although no anatomic or biochemical abnormalities have been found that explain the symptoms, various factors are associated with the syndrome: heredity, psychological,hormonal, stress or conditions such as depression and anxiety, a diet high in fat and stimulating or irritating foods, alcohol consumption and smoking.

The most common symptoms of IBS include mucus in the stool, gas and bloating, diarrhea, constipation, feeling of intense urge to have bowel movements and severe abdominal cramps and pain usually after a recent bowel movement.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a biological issue rather than a disease. The cause of this disorder is the development of the extra endometrium tissue that grows outside the uterus and attaches itself to other organs and can travel into the intestines. These tissues resemble that of the endometrium, the thin lining that grows in the uterus and is normally shed during the menstrual period.

As endometriosis develops, pain becomes the number one identifiable symptom. Other common symptoms of this disorder are fatigue, infertility, low back pain, constipation and diarrhea.

Endometriosis and IBS

Many women with endometriosis initially mistakenly believe they are suffering from IBS and even doctors fall into this trap as the only way to confidently diagnose endometriosis is to view the tissues.

The two conditions present with similar symptoms and IBS can be the obvious, but wrong, diagnosis to make.

Intestinal endometriosis occurs when the endometrial tissue migrates into the bowel. This then swells, shed and bleeds according to your menstrual cycle.

To diagnosis whether you are suffering from intestinal endometriosis it is a good idea to track your symptoms inline with your menstrual cycle. For some women their IBS symptoms occur only during their periods, others suffer symptoms all the time, but experience an increase in severity during menstruation.

A big clue that your endometriosis has spread to your intestines is blood appearing in your bowel movement during menstruation. It’s important to visit a doctor quickly should you spot this so investigation can determine the cause of the bleeding.

The incidence of intestinal endometriosis has been suggested to be as high as 34%, with conservative estimates putting the number at approximately at 5-10%.

Once a diagnosis of intestinal endometriosis has been confirmed, medication can be administered, natural remedies tried or laparoscopic surgery can be used to remove the rogue implants to stop the endometriosis with IBS symptoms.

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