Hi! I wonder if severe rectal pain during periods can be a sign I have endometriosis? When I am about to have my period, I get like a constant shooting/stabbing pain on my rectal/anal region that it's hard for me to sit, and I notice it aggravates my hemorrhoid as well. I am getting worried as the pain is becoming worse now.
Thanks for your response!
I have this a lot too but not just when I’m on my period I get it randomly Throughout my cycle. I was also on the pill and I still got it then. It is a sign of endo but I also know friends who don’t have endo and they also sometimes get it when there on their period. If you have endo speak to you doctor as I had it on my bowel too x
Hi Disneynala! Thank you very much for your reply. I just had a check up with my GP today who scheduled me for a transvaginal ultrasound which Ive read from this forum that is not really sensitive in picking up presence of endometriosis. Can I ask you a bit more questions?
How long did you experience this anal pain before you decided to visit your GP and how long did it take for you to be given a diagnosis?
Also, regarding your friends who have this pain, did they consult their GP and were sure not to be having endometriosis? Is it a constant or an intermittent anal pain they're having during the durarion of their period?
Im thinking If my GP dismisses my symptom, I might home to Philippines and consult a good gynecologist because Ive read and heard as well how difficult it is to get a prompt diagnosis under NHS and Im getting so worried now.
Hi my diagnosis has took a long time. The rectal pain has been worse in the last year or so my gp thought it was a pile all the time. I had a transvaginal ultrasound when I first starting having chronic pelvic pain and it only detected cysts I then had another one 6 months later at a different hospital to be told my cysts were endometrioma cysts and my ovaries were stuck together which is a clear sign of endo. Usually you can‘t detect endo with an ultrasound. I then went to a endo specialist who ordered an mri scan which he picked up severe endo and it was on the bowel and behind the womb which was stuck to my rectum/bowel and my ovary was stuck to my bowel I had the cysts still and they were stuck together so it was bad. On the 10th feb I had my first surgery to remove all the endo and unstick everything so I’m still in recovery but experience rectum and bowel pain every time I need to go to the toilet and when I sit but the doctor said it’s healing and it will take a while as it’s been messed with.
My friends don’t have endo they don’t have any symptoms of endo but sometimes experience these pains as it’s all inflamed while your on Your period and everything is so close to each other inside it can cause them. It could also be pelvic floor muscles spasm as they cause theses pains too. Look that up if your not sure.
I think if you have other symptoms of endo then its more likely endo. But I would ask for a mri scan and to be referred to a gyno if you haven’t been diagnosed. Like I said an ultrasound only picks up cysts really in the past I’ve had 6 ultrasounds and it was only my last one which detected the cysts when it was already at it’s most severe.
Hi Tinne7, just read your post and I experienced the same pain with my periods. I was referred for many ultrasounds and laparoscopy's but they didn't detect endometriosis. I was never given the option of an MRI scan, it was a friend who recommended it to me. I requested to have an MRI scan and it came back that I had stage 4 endometriosis which had caused my uterus to attach to my rectum and had also gone into my bowel. Like Disneynala has suggested I would really recommend getting an MRI Scan. Good Luck with everything, I hope you are able to diagnose and treat the pain x
Hello ,
I’ve just come across your reply. I wondered if I could ask you a couple of questions about your experience. I was diagnosed with Endometriosis last year it was found in my pelvis. However a recent MRI has just come back which has found Endometriosis in my bowel which has attached my womb to rectum ( obviously sounds very similar to your situation ) what happened once this was found with you? I’m still at that frustrating stage where I’ve heard nothing other than the results.
Thank you in advance 💛
Hi K-Endo, yes, it does sound like we have had pretty similar diagnoses, and I understand your frustration waiting for information on next steps, especially when you are in pain and just want to get it resolved. With me the main trouble was getting the Endometriosis diagnosed, I was experiencing all this pain in my back and bum but wasn't really getting any answers. I had 2 laparoscopy's, the first one came back that I didn't have Endometriosis and the second came back that I had a tiny speck on my left ovary which they removed, but then I had my period after the op and was in just as much pain, that is when I requested the MRI which showed I had stage 4. Once this was diagnosed I was booked in for a third laparoscopy to remove as much as possible. They were only able to remove the endometriosis that was attaching my uterus to my rectum, as the endometriosis in my bowel would have required bowel surgery, which I wasn't prepared to go through at this point in my life (my consultant advised that the bowel surgery would require me wearing a colostomy bag for a temporary period and could make me susceptible to having problems in the future with my bowel, especially with fertility if the bowel ruptures) My consultant advised that previous patients with the same problem had just the endometriosis from the uterus and rectum removed and it was enough to help with the pain. I had this third laparoscopy end of October 2019, and then was advised to take the pill continuously for 3 months and not have a period. I had my first period in February, and it was a bit painful, but absolutely nowhere near as bad as it used to be, I could control the pain with ibuprofen, which would have never been the case before the operation, and I didn't have the horrendous pain in my bum that I used to get. So fingers crossed it has worked. Hope this has helped answer your question, and good luck with the next steps.
Thank you I really appreciate your response. Yes your concerns with the surgery are my concerns too suppose I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. How long did it take from then finding it to your 3rd laparoscopy. My 1st one took a year so I’m not holding my breath. Did they put you on a course of injections beforehand? I’ve read that’s something they sometimes do x
No Problem 
No I wasn't put on any injections, but I have heard that they can do that. I had my MRI in May with the NHS, but didn't get the results until August. I decided then to seek out an endometriosis specialist that I had been recommended through a friend for my 3rd laparoscopy which was in October x
Thank you , really appreciate the advice. Did you go private in the end then? X
Hi Alaska20! Thank you very much for your reply. May I ask what did you tell your GP for them to give your request of an MRI Scan? Because I am scheduled for ultrasound and from what Ive read in many columns here, it is not that sensitive to diagnose for endometriosis so Im thinking if ny UTZ comes back negative, I want to request for MRI
And what other symptoms did you have? Does the rectal pain stop after your period too?
Thank you so much Alaska20!
Hi Tinee7, with regards to the MRI I pretty much demanded one with my GP. I'm not really a demanding person by nature, but I was in so much pain it was completely taking over my life. It was one of those things, where you really just have to listen to what your body is saying to you and I knew that the pain I was experiencing was not normal, nor something that someone should have to deal with. It was frustrating because all the ultrasounds and the first two laparoscopy's were saying that at first I didn't have it and then that I only had tiny specks, but none in the areas that were causing me the pain.
With regards to symptoms, the worst was the first 2 days of my period, I would get extreme cramps in my pelvis area, but the main pain was in my bum, which was a constant unrelenting pain. It sounds horrible but the only way I could describe the pain to people was it felt like my womb was going to fall out of my bum, which made sense once I found out my uterus and rectum were attached. Like I said for those two days the pain was constant, and no matter what I did; lie down, stand up, sit down I could not get rid of the pain. After the 2 days I used to get a dull ache in my back and bum and controlled that with pain killers, and that lasted for about 2 - 3 weeks, giving me 1 week of minimal pain before it started all over again. The other symptoms I had during those 2 days were loose bowel movement, extreme pain going to the toilet, pain in my upper thighs, and feeling sick because of the pain.
I hope that helps a little Tinee7 and I really hope that your treatment is a success. The thing I would advise is that doctors and consultants are brilliant, and I am in awe of the wonderful things they do everyday, but you know your body best, and when it comes to your body you are the person who is most knowledgable, so if the ultrasounds come back negative but you are still in pain keep speaking with your GP's until you get an answer and a treatment plan. Wishing you lots of luck.
It’s a sign of endo or irritable bowl syndrome it shouldn’t happen to anyone who has a normal period
Flank/kidney pain before and during period
Endo related rectal pain?
Shoulder and neck pain during period time is this all linked or is it just a coincidence? 
Long lasting rectal pain. 
