Endometriosis symptom check · symptom guide
Bloating, diarrhoea or constipation that follows the cycle
"Endo belly" is the community name for it: bloating that arrives with the period or mid-cycle and can be severe enough to change clothes sizes within a day, often with diarrhoea or constipation. On their own, these are everyday symptoms. Tied to the cycle, they are one of the groups the guideline names.
Not a diagnosis. This page explains one symptom group that published guidance says should prompt a clinician to consider endometriosis. No symptom, score or checklist can tell you whether you have it; only a clinician can assess you. If pain is severe or sudden, seek medical help.
What the guidelines say
NICE NG73 includes period-related or cyclical gastrointestinal symptoms among the reasons to suspect endometriosis. The Office on Women's Health lists digestive problems including diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and nausea, especially during menstrual periods. ACOG notes bowel symptoms among the ways endometriosis presents.
How to describe it at an appointment
- Which symptoms (bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea) and when in the cycle.
- Whether they ease when the period ends.
- Whether they come with pelvic pain or painful bowel movements.
- What you have tried (diet changes, IBS treatment) and what happened.
What to track before you go
A short note on the days it happens is enough; the point is to show it lines up with the cycle. Wrenly keeps notes and bleeding on the same dated row.
Check your whole pattern
This symptom is one of 14 questions in the free endometriosis symptom self-check. It scores your answers against the six NICE symptom groups and ends in a one-page prep sheet you can print for your doctor. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Is bloating a symptom of endometriosis?
Bloating that comes and goes with the menstrual cycle is part of the cyclical gastrointestinal symptom group NICE lists for suspecting endometriosis. Bloating on its own has many causes; the cycle link is what makes it relevant.
How do I show a clinician that it follows my cycle?
A dated record. A month or two of notes on bad bowel days next to your period days makes the pattern visible without you having to argue for it.
Sources
- NICE guideline NG73, Endometriosis: diagnosis and management, section 1.3 (when to suspect endometriosis). nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Endometriosis patient FAQ. acog.org
- NIH Office on Women's Health, Endometriosis. womenshealth.gov
Wrenly paraphrases these in its own words. It does not reproduce any licensed questionnaire and is not a medical device.
Keep the record in Wrenly
Log pain, bleeding, energy and mood in a tap, paint where it hurts on a body map, and bring a dated symptom PDF to your appointment. Free, private, no account; Wrenly+ adds the doctor PDF and patterns. Not a medical device.