Diagnosing Endometriosis

Diagnosing endometriosis is not an easy diagnosis to make. Such a diagnosis needs to be determined by your doctor or gynaecologist.

A combination of a thorough case history, a look at risk factors, physical examination, ultrasound and blood tests will assist in diagnosing this condition.

Medical Testing for Endometriosis

Your doctor or specialist such as a gynaecologist use a variety of medical testing for the diagnosis including:

• Assessment – case history and signs and symptoms
• Physical examination – endometriosis has the characteristic appearance of ‘chocolate cysts’ as they contain a thick brownish fluid, which is mostly old blood
• Ultrasound & magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Laparoscopy or keyhole surgery -this also allows for surgical treatment of endometriosis
• Biopsy.

Recommended Naturopathic Testing

In addition to what your doctor/gynaecologist tests, your naturopath may also consider the following tests to obtain a good understanding of the hormone levels. This can help tailor your prescription to your hormone health needs.

• Saliva Adrenal Hormone test measuring cortisol and DHEA
• Saliva female hormone panel including estrone, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, and testosterone
• Serum (blood) expanded female hormonal panel, including testosterone and luteinising hormone (LH) to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio
• Glucose tolerance test
• Thyroid panel
• Blood lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides).

Case History Questioning

A typical case history taken should include questions such as:

• Age of menarche?
• Duration of the menstrual bleed (period)?
• The colour of the blood loss?
• How much blood loss (i.e. sanitary pad saturation - how often do you need to change)?
• Any clots?
• Pain - when does it begin? How intense is it? Where does it radiate from? Is there any bowel pain?
• Any thrush or urinary tract infections associated endometriosis?

Risk Factors

The following risk factors need to be considered when diagnosing endometriosis.

• Age
• Social class and race
• Menstrual and reproductive factors
• Family history
• Genetic factors
• Dioxin exposure
• Tampon use
• Immune Factors

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Read more on Endometriosis

• What are the symptoms of Endometriosis?
  
  
• What are the causes of Endometriosis?
  
  
• Estrogen dominance & Endometriosis
  
  
• Medical treatment for Endometriosis
  
  
• Diet, supplements and herbs for Endometriosis

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