Can you be diagnosed with endometriosis when you’re young?

It’s very common for people with endometriosis to start experiencing symptoms as a teenager, when they first start having periods, or sometimes even before then.

If someone has a family history of painful periods and related symptoms then it’s more likely that will have them too, but that’s not always the case. If someone finds that they’re experiencing pain or period-related problems, they should seek help as soon as possible, both to improve their quality of life and so so that they can manage the condition into the future.

Pie chart illustrating 72.8% of endometriosis patients have a relative with endometriosis — 72.8% of endometriosis patients who responded to our survey have at least one relative with endometriosis.

It’s more common for younger patients with endometriosis symptoms to be offered medical management, such as pain relief or the contraceptive pill. If these don’t help, then they may need to be referred to a gynaecologist who specialises in paediatric (children’s) cases. The gynaecologist may then decide that a laparoscopic surgery is needed to investigate further.