Endometriosis: a guide to investigations and treatment in the emergency department

Catherine Nadeau, Nadeau C, Stephen McGhee, Gonzalez JM, Juan Manuel Gonzalez, Juan M. González
Emergency nurse : the journal of the RCN Accident and Emergency Nursing Association · 2021 · vol. 30(3) , pp. 28–31 · doi:10.7748/en.2021.e2110 · PMID:34850614 · W3216039880
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This article reviews the pathophysiology, etiology, risk factors, signs, and symptoms of endometriosis and outlines its investigation and management in the emergency department to support nurses caring for women with severe pelvic pain.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 · read from full text ⓘ

This article for healthcare professionals reviews the pathophysiology and aetiology of endometriosis, outlining associated risk factors and the variable, often non-specific signs and symptoms that can include severe pelvic pain. It argues that endometriosis is frequently misdiagnosed because symptoms overlap with more common causes of pelvic pain, which can delay recognition. The paper describes how endometriosis should be investigated and treated specifically in the emergency department setting, with the aim of supporting emergency nurses caring for women of reproductive age presenting with severe pelvic pain. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it provides an ED-focused guide to investigations and treatment for endometriosis in the differential diagnosis of severe pelvic pain.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is an oestrogen-dependent disorder where endometrial tissue forms lesions outside the uterus, causing chronic inflammation and scarring. Women who have endometriosis may experience a highly variable range of non-specific signs and symptoms, including pelvic pain. Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed, partly because its signs and symptoms can easily be attributed to more common conditions that cause pelvic pain in women, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. This article describes the pathophysiology, aetiology, risk factors for, and signs and symptoms of endometriosis. It also outlines how endometriosis should be investigated and treated in the emergency department (ED). Its aim is to support nurses to deliver effective care to women of reproductive age presenting to the ED with severe pelvic pain.
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Intended for healthcare professionals Why you should read this article: • To improve your understanding of the pathophysiology and aetiology of endometriosis • To enhance your knowledge of the risk factors for endometriosis and its indicative signs and symptoms • To increase your awareness of endometriosis as a potential differential diagnosis in women of reproductive age presenting with severe pelvic pain Endometriosis is an oestrogen-dependent disorder where endometrial tissue forms lesions outside the uterus, causing chronic inflammation and scarring. Women who have endometriosis may experience a highly variable range of non-specific signs and symptoms, including pelvic pain. Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed, partly because its signs and symptoms can easily be attributed to more common conditions that cause pelvic pain in women, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. This article describes the pathophysiology, aetiology, risk factors for, and signs and symptoms of endometriosis. It also outlines how endometriosis should be investigated and treated in the emergency department (ED). Its aim is to support nurses to deliver effective care to women of reproductive age presenting to the ED with severe pelvic pain. Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2021.e2110 Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared Nadeau C, McGhee S, Gonzalez JM (2021) Endometriosis: a guide to investigations and treatment in the emergency department. Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2021.e2110 Published online: 01 December 2021 or RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits: - Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals - RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time - NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress - Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests - A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you. Find out more

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Condition tags

endometriosis

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.

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