Endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome: a dilemma for the gynaecologist and gastroenterologist

Basma Issa, Laura Ormesher, Peter J. Whorwell, Mrinal Shah, Mrinal Y. Shah, Shaheen Hamdy
The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist · 2016 · vol. 18(1) , pp. 9–16 · doi:10.1111/tog.12241 · W2300736658
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 4 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This paper discusses the significant overlap in symptoms and visceral sensitivity between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, two major causes of chronic pelvic pain, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary communication.

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Abstract

Key content Chronic pelvic pain has a significant impact on health services, accounting for 20% of gynaecological referrals. The overlap between irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis, two of the leading causes of chronic pelvic pain, should not be overlooked. Visceral sensitivity has been demonstrated in both conditions, further highlighting their similarities. Close communication between gastroenterologists and gynaecologists should help to distinguish the causative condition and improve management. Learning objectives To understand the aetiology, pathology, clinical presentation and current national guidance on endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome. To increase awareness of visceral hypersensitivity and its significance. To appreciate the importance of good history taking in the approach to women with chronic pelvic pain, to distinguish between causative and incidental conditions. Ethical issues Are we unnecessarily posing risks and false diagnoses on a significant proportion of women with chronic pelvic pain? Is it reasonable to have such a varied investigative approach to such women, depending on who they are first referred to?

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_painirritable_bowel_syndrome

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (100)

Cited by (4)

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last seen: 2026-06-24T06:27:29.193285+00:00
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last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK