The prevalence of endometriosis is estimated to be around 10% in women of reproductive age¹. Endometriosis involving bowel may cause considerable problems for women with this disease. Pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction may be experienced to variable degrees with similarly varying consequences on quality of life. The surgical treatment of endometriosis involving bowel is a rapidly expanding area of interest in endometriosis-related research with increasing numbers of women undergoing complex operations in the hope of improving symptoms.

Until recently² few have examined the role of bladder function in those women having surgical treatment for bowel endometriosis however it remains a clinically important area in our understanding of the pathophysiology and management of this disease. 

In our retrospective study of a large group of women who underwent endometriosis surgery we have examined comprehensive data pertaining to patient characteristics, disease status, treatment, bowel and bladder function and quality of life to compare outcomes between those who did and did not have treatment of bowel disease. 

We identified 514 women who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2013 in a large tertiary teaching hospital and a private practice. Data was collected using a mail-out survey. Outcomes were assessed using validated tools including the Cleveland Clinic Incontinence and Constipation Questionnaire, Five-item Obstructive Defecation Syndrome Questionnaire, Visual analogue scales for pain symptoms, The EuroQol Questionnaire and Core Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (CLSS) Questionnaire. 

Preliminary results indicate a response rate of around 35%. 

We aim to clarify the effect of bowel surgery on bladder function in women with bowel endometriosis as part of a project evaluating bowel, bladder and quality of life outcomes.