Endometriosis symptom check · symptom guide
Painful urination around a period
Bladder pain, stinging when passing urine, urgency or frequency that worsen around your period and ease afterwards. It is often treated as a run of urine infections. Repeated "infections" with clear test results and a monthly rhythm are a different picture.
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 lists period-related or cyclical urinary symptoms, in particular blood in the urine or pain passing urine, as a reason to suspect endometriosis. ACOG and the Office on Women's Health both include painful urination, especially during menstrual periods, among the symptoms.
How to describe it at an appointment
- That the bladder symptoms track your period.
- Whether urine tests have come back clear when it felt like an infection.
- Any blood in the urine, and when in the cycle (this needs its own check).
- Whether it comes with pelvic pain or pain with bowel movements.
What to track before you go
Note the bladder days and the test results you were given, against your period days. If there is blood in your urine, say so directly at the appointment regardless of the cycle.
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 painful urination a sign of endometriosis?
Pain passing urine that is worse around a period is part of the cyclical urinary symptom group NICE lists for suspecting endometriosis. Urine infections and bladder conditions are far more common causes; the cyclical pattern and clear test results are what should make a clinician consider endometriosis.
What about blood in my urine?
Blood in the urine should be investigated in its own right whenever it happens. Mention it directly; the self-check lists it as a separate talking point for that reason.
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.