How to use the Endometriosis Cymru Symptom Reporting Tool
There are two parts to the tracker. The first part asks about you and your medical history. The second part asks about your symptoms.
Download the SRT ‘About You’ PDF
Step 1: About You
About you and your medical history.
The Endometriosis Cymru Symptom Reporting Tool asks some basic questions like your age and whether you have a relative with endometriosis. If you have periods, the tool asks how long your periods usually last, and the date of your last period. The tool can be used even if you don’t have periods.
The tool also asks if you’ve seen a doctor about your symptoms, whether symptoms have been investigated and whether you take any medications that might change how your symptoms affect you.
You will need to complete this part the first time you use the tool.
Top Tip
On the website, this section is called the ‘Profile Checklist’.
If you are using the paper copy version of the tool, this is the first page.
Download the Symptom Tracker ‘Record Symptoms’ PDF
Step 2: Track your symptoms and the impact of your symptoms
Here the Endometriosis Cymru Symptom Reporting Tool asks about a specific set of symptoms and whether you’ve experienced any of them over the past 24 hours.
It’s okay if you haven’t experienced any or all of the symptoms. The fact that symptoms come and go is useful information for your doctor. The tool does not ask about every possible endometriosis symptom. It only asks about a small number of key symptoms that tend to mark out endometriosis from other conditions. You should complete this part daily, even on days when you don’t experience any symptoms.
The tracker asks about how you were affected by your symptoms in two ways:
- Pain Intensity: How painful each of the symptoms are
- Impact: How much your symptoms affect activities
Top Tip
On the website, you can add a daily symptom record using the ‘Add a New Symptom Record’ button.
If you are using the paper copy version of the tool, the symptom tracking is on pages 2 and 3.
Step 3: Keep Track of Your Healthcare History (Online Reporting Tool only)
Keep track of your medical appointments.
To help you keep track of your medical appointments, use the ‘Update Your Care History’ button any time something has changed. This could include:
- An appointment with your GP or another doctor
- You had a test done
- You started a new treatment
This information will also help us to understand whether the tool is helping people, so that we can continue to improve it. More information on this, can be found here.
How long should I use the Endometriosis Cymru Tool For?
You should use the tool daily for at least two months (or over two menstrual periods), even when you are not experiencing any symptoms.
Your doctor will find it helpful to see the pattern of your symptoms before they can decide on the best care for you.
Preparing for your appointment
Make sure to take your Endometriosis Cymru Symptom Reporting Tool results with you when you visit your doctor.
Top Tip
To create a report to share with your doctor, use the ‘Report’ button.
This is information that will be helpful for you and your doctor to decide on care for you. The more you use the tracker, the more detailed a picture a GP or other healthcare professional will have of your symptoms and their impact.
You may want to share this information with your GP before your appointment. You should contact your surgery to find out the best way to do this.
Your doctor may have recommended that you use the tool, in which case, please follow your doctor’s advice.
If you found the tool on your own and would like to share the results with your doctor, we have included some suggestions below for how you might introduce the tool:
- “I am experiencing _______ symptoms and they are having a significant negative impact on my life”
- “I have been using a tool to record my symptoms over time. This tool was developed and created by a team of researchers at Cardiff University, patients, and healthcare professionals, and is endorsed by NHS Wales and Welsh Government”
- “The tool collects information about the NICE guideline symptoms of endometriosis over 2 months, can I share the summary report with you? I understand that the tool cannot give me a diagnosis, but I am wondering if we can investigate these symptoms together?”
- “There is a website at the bottom of the report if you would like to learn more about the tool”