The average age of onset of pain symptoms in endometriosis is 20 years old but the average age of diagnosis is 28. This is because many women ignore the pain symptoms because they think it must be normal and do not wish to appear as if they are complaining or doctors dismiss their complaints too easily.
Your gynaecologist may suspect you have endometriosis after asking about your symptoms. Normally they will arrange for you to have an ultrasound scan which can diagnose endometriotic cysts in ovaries. An expert endometriosis scanner can detect severe endometriosis in other areas also.
However, minimal to mild endometriosis cannot be detected by any test or scan. The only way to diagnose it is to undergo a diagnostic laparoscopy (keyhole surgery) under general anaesthetic and to see it directly. A gynaecologist who specialises in endometriosis would then aim to remove all visible endometriosis at the same time.
If your doctor suspects or finds you to have more severe disease affecting the bowels, bladder or ureters, you may need further specialist tests to assess the problem before it is removed.
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