Yes, zig, I am the proud bearer of both endometriosis and IBS (as well as Graves disease and other assorted goodies). The worst of my endo is actually on my bowel. The pain can be incapacitating. I am on narcotic pain meds for this, and they are not doing the greatest job anymore. (Have had IBS for about 24 years and endometriosis for about 17 years.)The other posters are correct. A laparoscopy is the only accurate diagnostic procedure for endo. I've had 3 or 4 of these (brain fog!). Problem is that with each lap, you get adhesions, which exacerbate the pain. My doctor discovered some amazing adhesions, where the bowel is fused and twisted and so on. You know, twist and shout. The so-called treatments for endo are laughable. If I had more time, I would elaborate. Suffice to say, endometriosis can be a terrible disorder that is woefully forgotten by the medical research and pharmaceutical industries. I hope you don't have this.Off my soapbox!To address a few things in your post: My worst endo pain is during ovulation. And the pain is progressive. I'm IBS C/D. You can actually see the swelling on my right side when I ovulate. When I lie flat, there is a little "mountain range" where the pain is located. Between my two pelvic bones you can see the mountain ridge, although it is somewhat vertical. The intestines are swollen in that specific spot. The surgeons can laser endo spots, but they can grow back. Also, endo can be microscopic, so hard to find all the spots--almost impossible, and these spots continue to grow. Endo can also cause pain with intercourse. Sometimes periods can be particularly painful and/or heavy. Heredity? Lord, I hope not for my daughter's sake, but I do know that my aunt had endometriosis and wound up with a hysterectomy.Which, BTW, is often a bad recommendation. I've heard of SO many women who have been told to have the hysterectomy, only to have a reoccurrence of the pain. This is often because the endo can grow on spots not removed during the surgery. (For those who had the hysterectomy and it helped, I'm glad for you and don't dispute your results. Just want to caution that this is not a cure-all, and many women regret the surgery. No offense meant to anyone.)I've had ovarian cysts too. A woman's body is a complicated thing! And perimenopause may be knocking on a lot of our doors, so it IS hard to pinpoint causes.A little trivia: I've read that Marilyn Monroe had endometriosis, which was why she was on strong pain killers. Heard also that Pamela Lee Anderson has suffered from endo. Now, why am I NOT a gorgeous blonde, huh??I didn't mean to go on. Gotta go. Hope this helps.