Health & symptom tracking ·

What to track in an endometriosis symptom diary (and what to bring to your appointment)

A calendar of colour-coded daily pain scores next to a notebook showing a 7/10 entry, illustrating an endometriosis symptom diary

An endometriosis symptom diary should record a daily pain score from 0 to 10, where and what kind of pain, bleeding, other symptoms, medication and how the day went. Endometriosis and adenomyosis are hard to explain in a ten-minute appointment. Pain changes from day to day, symptoms are spread across the body, and on a good day it is easy to forget how bad the last bad one was. A symptom diary gives you dates and numbers instead of "it's been a rough few months".

This article is general information, not medical advice. A diary helps you describe what you experience; it cannot diagnose anything. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and what to do about them.

Why keep an endometriosis symptom diary?

What to track in an endometriosis symptom diary

1. Endometriosis pain score (0 to 10)

Rate your worst pain of the day from 0 to 10. A number is quick, and it can be compared month to month. Decide what the numbers mean to you and keep it consistent. A common convention is that 4 and above interferes with your day and 7 and above is severe.

2. Where and what kind

Note the location (lower abdomen on the left or right, lower back, thighs, rectal pain) and the type: cramping, stabbing, burning, aching or radiating. Doctors ask about both, and "lower left, stabbing" is more useful than "pain".

3. The specific pains doctors ask about

Endometriosis is often asked about in separate parts: pain during your period, pain during or after sex, pain with bowel movements, pain when urinating and pelvic pain outside your period. Scoring each from 0 to 10 now and then, even weekly, covers the questions you are most likely to be asked.

4. Bleeding

Record bleeding from spotting to very heavy. It places pain inside your cycle and shows changes in cycle length or flow.

5. Other symptoms

Bloating, fatigue, nausea, bowel and bladder symptoms, headaches, brain fog and low mood all belong. They are often the symptoms that get dropped from the story because they feel unrelated.

6. Medication and what helped

Log what you took and roughly when, and whether it helped. This is what a doctor needs to judge whether a treatment is doing its job.

7. How the day went

A simple yes or no for missed work, worked through pain, stayed in bed, cancelled plans or went to the emergency room. These are the entries that tell the real story, and they matter for sick-leave conversations and benefit assessments.

8. Possible triggers

Sleep, stress, food and activity are worth tracking if you have the energy, with a caution. A single bad day after a particular food proves nothing. Patterns only mean something after weeks of entries, so treat them as questions to take to your doctor, not conclusions.

Symptom tracking tips for bad days

The diary that works is the one you actually fill in. On a bad day, log the pain number and nothing else, and add detail later or not at all. A gap in the diary is fine. What matters is that on most days there is at least one number. Log at the same time every day, for example with a reminder, so it becomes routine rather than a decision.

How to prepare your symptom diary for a doctor's appointment

A pile of daily entries is hard to read in a short appointment. Before you go, boil the last one to three months down to a page:

  1. How many days had pain, and how many were severe.
  2. When in the cycle the pain was worst.
  3. Which of the five pain types above stood out.
  4. How many days affected work or daily life.
  5. What you took, and how often.
  6. If you changed treatment, how the weeks before and after compare.
  7. Your questions, written down before you walk in.

Bring it printed or on your phone, and offer it at the start. It is your account, in your words and numbers, and it does not replace the examination.

Keep your symptom tracker private

A symptom diary is sensitive health data, and you may also want to read about health and symptom tracking in general. Before choosing a notebook, spreadsheet or app, check where the entries are stored, whether there is an account, whether anything is shared with advertisers or analytics services, and whether you can export and delete everything. On paper, a notebook in a drawer is private by default. In an app, look for one that keeps entries on your device.

An endometriosis symptom tracker app

Endly is our private endometriosis and adenomyosis symptom tracker, coming soon to Android and iPhone. It follows the approach above: log your pain in about ten seconds, mark where it hurts on a body map, rate the five endometriosis pains, and turn the entries into a two-page PDF for your doctor. There is no account, no ads and no analytics, and your entries stay on your phone.

Frequently asked questions

What should I track in an endometriosis symptom diary?

A daily pain score from 0 to 10, where and what kind of pain, bleeding, other symptoms such as bloating and fatigue, medication and whether it helped, and how the day went (missed work, stayed in bed). Possible triggers are worth tracking if you have the energy.

How do I prepare a symptom diary for a doctor's appointment?

Boil the last one to three months down to a page: days with pain and severe days, when in the cycle pain was worst, which pain types stood out, days affected, medication taken, and your questions. Bring it printed or on your phone and offer it at the start.

What if I am too unwell to fill in the diary?

On a bad day, log the pain number and nothing else. A gap is fine. What matters is that most days have at least one number.

Is a symptom diary medical advice or a diagnosis?

No. A diary helps you describe what you experience; it cannot diagnose anything. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and what to do about them.

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