Endometriosis can now be spotted with one simple test

by · Mail Online

Women with a crippling womb condition may soon have it diagnosed with a simple test.

They can wait in agony for up to eight years before doctors are able to identify endometriosis, which can leave some infertile.

Now a study has found it can be diagnosed from a stool sample, raising hope of new treatments.

'The findings are very exciting,' said Dr Chandni Talwar, a leader of the research at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas.

Endometriosis, which affects one in ten women, develops when lining in the womb grows outside, sometimes surrounding the intestine. It can cause bleeding, pain, inflammation and infertility. It is diagnosed with a surgical procedure that treats the condition at the same time. But there is no cure.

A study has suggested that a stool test can easily diagnose endometriosis, which women have previously had to wait years to receive diagnoses of
Endometriosis affects one in ten women and can cause bleeding, pain, inflammation and infertility

Love Island reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague, 25, had surgery for endometriosis in 2021 after suffering for seven years. She had a daughter with boxer Tommy Fury in 2023 but they have now split.

Fashion designer Alexa Chung, 40, revealed last year that she was treated for endometriosis while having a cyst removed. She said women were being 'dismissed and misdiagnosed' before being tested for the condition. 

Former Countryfile TV presenter Julia Bradbury, 54, said she was diagnosed in her 30s and feared she wouldn't have children. But she had a son at 40 and twin girls by IVF at 43.

Read More

Four little-known signs of endometriosis REVEALED

Dr Rama Kommagani, author of the Houston study, published in the journal Med, said endometriosis is often wrongly diagnosed as a bowel condition.

His team discovered key differences in gut microbiomes between women who had, and did not have, endometriosis.

They also found a combination of metabolites, compounds made from broken-down food, can affect endometriosis, especially one substance, 4-hydroxyindole. 

The team administered it to mice and found it could prevent endometriosis-like inflammation from starting or progressing.

Dr Talwar said: 'This compound is produced by good bacteria but there is less of it in women with endometriosis than in women without the condition.'

A spokeswoman for Endometriosis UK welcome the research in the hope of one day finding a cure.

She added: 'A non-surgical test for endometriosis is urgently needed. Without a diagnosis, those with the condition may continue to face challenges in accessing the right care at the right time.'