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Endometriosis affects different women in different ways. The two main symptoms are pain and difficulty getting pregnant. But some women don't have any symptoms.

Symptoms tend to get better or go away completely when you stop having periods after menopause.

Pain is the most common symptom of endometriosis. But how much it hurts, when it hurts and where it hurts varies between women.^{1 2}

Most women with endometriosis get pain in the area between their hips and above the tops of their legs. This part of your body is called your pelvis. Pain here is sometimes called pelvic pain.

The pain can be severe, and some women get pain all the time. Or it may just be a dull ache. You may get pain only at certain times, such as when you have sex, when you go to the bathroom or when you have your period.¹

Doctors don't know why endometriosis causes pain. But endometriosis that is deep inside your pelvis seems to hurt more.²

Having severe pain can be distressing. Some women fear it means they have cancer. But endometriosis isn't cancer.

This is very common. The pain starts a few days before your period and gets worse when the bleeding starts. The pain is like an ache. For some women, the pain is so bad it makes them double over.

Most women who get this pain feel it deep inside their pelvis. Some also feel pain low down in their back. The pain eases off toward the end of your period. If your periods start to be painful even though they weren't before, it's possible that you have endometriosis.

Some women feel pain deep inside when they have sex. The pain may stay for a while afterward. Doctors call this dyspareunia.

Endometriosis can stick to your bowel. If this happens, it may hurt when you empty your bowels.

Some women get a dull ache in their lower abdomen, pelvis or lower back most of the time.

Many women with endometriosis get pregnant naturally. But about one-third of women who have been diagnosed with endometriosis need medical help to get pregnant.³

If you have endometriosis, it can stop the parts of your body that help you get pregnant (your ovaries and your fallopian tubes) from working properly. This can make it difficult for you to have a baby.

If you've been trying to get pregnant for at least a year, doctors call it infertility. Some women only discover they have endometriosis when they have tests for infertility.

Read more about endometriosis and infertility.

If you have endometriosis, you may also:

• Feel tired or exhausted
• Feel generally unwell
• Have trouble sleeping.

Doctors don't know why endometriosis makes some women feel this way.

Bear in mind that the symptoms of endometriosis are very similar to the symptoms of some other illnesses. Some of these conditions can also affect your chances of getting pregnant. To learn more, see Other illnesses with symptoms like endometriosis.