This sounds all to familiar to me. The doc can do as many pelvic exams as they like but the only way to diagnose the endo is to have surgery, they go through your tummy with tiny incisions and take out what they think may be abnormal and biopsy it for endo. I was told I had IBS for years and when i was finally diagnosed with endo I was happy to be able to research what was really going on. I also had bowel problems when i had flare ups or really bad pain days. Endo can spread to many places, like to your bowels so this very well could be the cause of your problem. Have you had the surgery to confirm endo, is it something the doc has gone over with you? Let me know how you are doing, it's a long process and I can understand how frustarted you must be.

I too have IBS symptoms. Last spring I had a colonoscopy and they said the same thing. It's just IBS (which I hear is an excuse when they don't know what is the cause.) In a week. I am having a laporoscopy, and I'm really hoping it will stop the IBS symptoms.

it all depands on the level of their knowledge on endo i believe see endo can come in many colours even clear so its going to be pretty hard to spot unless you are really looking for it. and dont get me wrong im not saying that who ever did it doesnt know what they are doing coz thats not what im saying. i also had a colonoscopy in which they found nothing but when i had a lap a few months later they found endo on the outside of my bowel.
there are three other diseases that mimic endo and one of them is IBS. if you have already been diagnosed with endo then you more than likely have endo . stick to your guns kid you know your body and how it should feel. good luck hun.

They have said I have IBS after a million tests (colonoscopy, barium swallow etc.) and didn't give me much hope, nor explain the connection between it and endo. I have read that it is not exactly IBS that I have, but an imbalance of prostaglandins, that cause IBS like symptoms. There are medical answers (anti-prostaglandins meds), as well as natural ones (taking evening primrose and doing a special diet), so don't give up hope getting a straight answer. To be honest, IBS is a name for a group of symptoms they can't find a medical reason for....so don't take it as your only answer. Endo of t he bowels can also cause those problems and are rarely viewable on tests until it invades the bowel wall (which you need surgery to diagnose and remove by a bowel surgeon as well as a gyn).
For my bowel problems (31 days of diarrhea straight), I took an over the counter probiotic called FLORASTOR, which cleared up a lot of the cramping and pain and is used for IBS. I strongly suggest trying it - it saved my life.
Hope that helps!!!

Well, I have been diagnosed with both, and let me tell you when my IBS is bad, it feels just as painful in the same spots as when my endo was bad. It took me a year to figure out it wasn't the endo causing the pain, and that was from pressure from my Dr. I had a deadline to find another source of the pain or I was going to start Lupron, and that was the last thing I wanted. I had a colonoscopy and it was normal, I also had the test where they put the camera down your throat. Anyways, on my own I figured out My body does not like milk. Ice cream and stuff like that is usually fine but cereal or drinking milk makes me freakin' sick. Try asking your dr. about bentyl (spelling?) That is the only medicine that helped my stomach/colon while I was trying to figure out what was causing it. BUT endo can get into your bowels and colon, or anywhere for that matter. The only way you're going to know for sure if it's endo is to either do a lap or Lupron. To see if it's IBS I would keep a journal of what you ate and how you felt afterwards. I know I don't get sick after drinking milk until 1 or 2 days later.

Yeah, I don't know if I mentioned - ANYONE with IBS symptoms etc. should avoid milk. Soured milk products and dark chees have less lactose, but if you have stomach problems, avoid creamed foods (ice cream, whole milk etc.). It is near impossible to digest.

I had IBS diagnosis at age 9!! Didnt feel very nervous but they said it was from 'nerves' and stress. Come from very stressful home. So every month the terrible red red blood comes and the IBS flares up with the 'period'.. horrible pain, horrible diarrhea to add to the menstrual blood clots, a disgusting mess. Had an idiot dr tell me as a teenager that it was 'good' that I passed a lot of clots, 'it means you have a strong uterus'. Then she got mad a few yrs ago and said very patronizingly ' i have been practicing for over 40 yrs' and she chuckled saying it. She left me IN the stirrups to leave the office completely and go get another instrument! Can you believe that! anyone else experience that? then she wonders why i couldnt 'relax' to be examined! the pain of those dam pelvic exams was the worst pain ive ever felt. She said to me disgustedly 'go to an ob-gyn,then'. I told her to a rectal exam, which she could do fine, with no pain or problem! why the problem then with the pelvic? yes, your IBS will flare up during menstruation and cant differentiate between endom. i was also told recently in 2005 by this 'doctor' that 'they dont do barium tests anymore'. Baloney!!

I was told 12 years ago that I had IBS, but could never get it under control. So my husband convinced me to see another doctor(about a year ago), and I had tons of tests done including a colonoscopy. Everything came back normal, and the doc said that I had IBS because when nothing else shows up they diagnose you with IBS. When I heard that I might have endo, and that some women find out that what they thought was IBS is really intestinal endometriosis. I thought I might be freed. I had a lap. in July and it confirmed that I have a lot of endo and the doc removed it. I have not had an IBS symptom return yet.

Hi, I am going through this right now. I had my uterus removed two years ago. This past December my GYN detected endo and put me on Seasonique (still have cycles due to having my ovaries). I didn't have any pain until this May. My GYN wanted me to see a GP to rule out other causes. My GP thought IBS...put me on Sulfazine which is an anti-inflammatory for the intestines. That has seemed to help. I did keep track of my diet, but didn't find anything that would cause the symptoms...so I'm convinced that it's endo-related. nice thing is that the Sulfazine seems to be helping with the pain - at least it's not getting any worse and the pain I had around my belly button is gone.