Endometriosis Awareness Tool

Important Note

This tool is for education and self-awareness only. It does not diagnose endometriosis or replace medical advice.

Endometriosis symptoms can overlap with other conditions, including adenomyosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, bladder pain syndromes, and other causes of chronic pelvic pain. Proper assessment matters because symptoms alone cannot confirm the cause.

If you have very heavy bleeding, severe pelvic pain, fainting, symptoms of anaemia, pain that is rapidly worsening, or anything that feels urgent, seek medical care promptly. If you are having pain that regularly stops you from working, studying, or functioning normally, that is also worth medical review.

Sometimes the signs are obvious. More often, they build slowly.

Your periods may be far more painful than people around you seem to expect. You may notice pelvic pain outside your period, pain during sex, bowel pain, bladder discomfort, heavy bleeding, or fatigue that keeps taking more from you than you realise.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus. Common symptoms include severe period pain, chronic pelvic pain, pain during or after sex, pain when going to the toilet during a period, heavy bleeding, and fertility problems. Symptoms can happen during periods or at other times, and the amount of pain someone feels does not necessarily match how extensive the endometriosis is.

This tool is designed to help you notice whether what you have been experiencing may fit a broader endometriosis symptom pattern.

It is not a diagnosis, but it can help you recognise common signs, understand your symptoms more clearly, and decide whether it may be worth seeking a proper medical assessment. NICE’s guidance is specifically aimed at improving awareness and diagnosis because symptoms are often missed or delayed.

Why it is worth checking in with yourself

Many people with endometriosis spend a long time trying to make sense of symptoms that have been minimised, normalised, or treated as separate issues.

Severe period pain may be brushed off as “just bad cramps.” Pain with bowel movements may be mistaken for a digestive problem. Pain with sex, heavy bleeding, fatigue, or fertility concerns may be managed in isolation without anyone joining the dots. The NHS and ACOG both note that endometriosis can significantly affect daily activities and quality of life.

A simple check-in can help you:

• notice whether your symptoms fit a recognisable pattern
• make sense of symptoms that may have felt disconnected
• feel more prepared for a healthcare conversation
• understand what may be worth tracking more closely

This is not about self-diagnosing.
It is about recognising a pattern sooner.

A quick note

Endometriosis cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone. A proper assessment may include a symptom history, examination, imaging such as ultrasound or MRI in some cases, and sometimes laparoscopy, although current guidance increasingly supports starting from symptoms and imaging rather than relying only on surgery.