Your Personal EDS Assistant
Joint instability, pain, fatigue and the conditions that often come with EDS. See the symptoms by type, print a checklist for your doctor, and know the warning signs that need urgent care.
Last updated 11 October 2026
EDS symptoms
EDS is a group of 13 inherited conditions that affect connective tissue. Most types share joints that move further than usual, stretchy skin, and skin that bruises or breaks easily. How much it affects someone varies a lot, even within one family. Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) is by far the most common type.
The most common type. Its old name is EDS type 3.
Diagnosis: a doctor’s examination using the 2017 criteria. There is no genetic test for hEDS yet.
Less common than hEDS. It affects the skin more.
Diagnosis: an examination by a specialist, usually confirmed with a genetic test.
Rare, and the most serious type, because blood vessels and organs can tear.
Diagnosis: a genetic test that finds a change in the COL3A1 gene.
The other 10 types are rare. Kyphoscoliotic EDS, for example, causes a curved spine and weak muscle tone from early childhood, and fragile eyes. Most rare types are confirmed with genetic testing. The Ehlers-Danlos Society lists every type.
Tick what applies and take it to your GP, family doctor, rheumatologist or geneticist. It covers what doctors ask about for hypermobile EDS and hypermobility spectrum disorder, the most common types.
Tick what you’ve noticed. Next to each one, jot down when it started and how often it happens.
The main signs
A checklist can’t diagnose EDS, but it helps you describe what happens.
Add any dates you remember, such as dislocations or your worst weeks. Our appointment one-pager helps you fit the rest on one page.
The main symptoms are the same in women and men: flexible, unstable joints, pain, fatigue and skin that bruises easily. Women and girls tend to have more flexible joints than men and boys. Women with hypermobile EDS also often have:
Studies suggest between 20% and 75% of people with hEDS have at least one pelvic floor problem. Pregnancy adds strain to loose joints and the pelvis, so tell your midwife or doctor about EDS early.
Vascular EDS makes pregnancy much riskier, because the womb and arteries can tear. If vascular EDS runs in your family, see a genetic counsellor before trying for a baby.
People are born with EDS, but symptoms usually show in childhood. Children with hEDS may have leg pain often called growing pains, pain from repeated tasks such as handwriting, and poor co-ordination.
Most children are very flexible, so doctors are cautious. The 2017 hEDS criteria are for adults. Children with troublesome hypermobility are usually given a hypermobility diagnosis and checked again once they stop growing.
Joints tend to get a little less flexible with age. Long-lasting pain, fatigue, headaches and gut problems often become the main issue from the teenage years into the forties. Many adults are only diagnosed then.
Usually not. Most people with hypermobile EDS look like anyone else. Some signs you can see do help doctors, especially with the rarer types.
| Where | What doctors look for | Most linked with |
|---|---|---|
| Face | A thin nose and lips, large or prominent eyes and small earlobes | Vascular EDS |
| Eyes | A fold of skin over the inner corner of the eye | Classical EDS |
| Eyes | Dry eyes, strong short-sightedness and loose eyelids | Hypermobile EDS |
| Skin | Soft, velvety skin that stretches and snaps back, with wide, thin scars on the forehead, chin, knees or shins | Classical EDS |
| Skin | Thin, see-through skin with visible veins, especially on the chest | Vascular EDS |
| Skin | Stretch marks without weight change, and easy bruising | Hypermobile EDS |
| Hands | Little fingers that bend back past 90 degrees and thumbs that touch the forearm | Hypermobile and classical EDS |
| Hands | Hands that look older than your age | Vascular EDS |
| Feet | Flat feet, and small bumps of fat on the heels when you stand | Hypermobile and classical EDS |
| Mouth | Crowded teeth and a high, narrow roof of the mouth | Hypermobile EDS |
None of these signs means EDS on its own. Doctors look at the whole picture, including your history and your family.
Flexible joints on their own are common and usually harmless. Around 1 in 30 people have hypermobile joints, and most do not have EDS.
Hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) is when flexible joints cause problems such as pain, sprains or dislocations, but you don’t meet the criteria for a type of EDS. HSD can affect your life as much as hEDS, and it is treated the same way.
Doctors often start with the Beighton score. You get 1 point for each of these:
A score of 5 or more out of 9 suggests widespread hypermobility in adults up to 50. The cut-off is 4 over 50, and 6 in children before puberty. Shoulders, neck, jaw, hips and ankles aren’t in the score, but they can be hypermobile too.
See a GP or family doctor if you have several troublesome symptoms. They may refer you to a rheumatologist or a genetics service. You don’t usually need to worry about a few mild symptoms that aren’t causing problems.
Get medical help straight away for the vascular EDS warning signs above, or for sudden pain or bleeding you can’t explain, chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting when you stand, or sudden changes in your vision.
Last updated 11 October 2026. This page is general information and does not replace advice from your own clinician.
Quick answer
The best way to track Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is to separate symptoms by domain, log what changed when it happened, and connect each entry to triggers, treatment, and daily impact. Juno turns low-effort voice or text check-ins into a timeline your geneticist, rheumatologist, or physiotherapist can review.
Starting today? Use the free symptom tracker to log pain, fatigue and what came before them.
Dizzy when you stand? The free at-home POTS standing test records your heart rate for your doctor.
A strong Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome tracker records separate symptom domains, timing, triggers, treatment context, and functional impact. For Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, the most useful entries are subluxations and dislocations (per joint), pain location and intensity, fatigue, injuries and recovery, activity load.
Tracking gives your geneticist, rheumatologist, or physiotherapist a cleaner timeline than memory can provide. It turns scattered day-to-day notes into onset, duration, recovery, possible triggers, medication context, and the questions you need answered.
New, sudden, severe, or worsening symptoms should be shared with your clinical team promptly, especially when they affect daily safety, function, medication response, or a body system your care team is already monitoring. Juno helps you record what changed, but your clinician decides what needs urgent care.
Tracker comparison
Generic trackers often flatten complex symptoms into one daily score. Juno keeps the details separate enough for pattern recognition and clear enough for appointments.
| Need | Generic tracker | Juno |
|---|---|---|
| Per-joint instability | No concept of subluxation | Subluxations and dislocations logged per joint, over time |
| Comorbidity overlap | Each condition lives in a different app | EDS, POTS, MCAS, GI tracked side by side |
| Activity tolerance | Generic step counter | Activity types logged against pain and instability |
| PT response | Manual recall | PT adherence and symptom response in one view |
| Multi-specialist prep | Repeat the whole story each time | One timeline you can hand to anyone |
Key benefits
Track shifts in subluxations and dislocations (per joint), pain location and intensity, fatigue, injuries and recovery before they blur together by the next appointment.
Tell Juno what happened in plain language and it turns that into a clear symptom timeline without extra admin.
See what tends to push you past baseline so you can pace the week with less guesswork around ehlers-danlos syndrome.
Turn daily notes, symptom changes, and context into something your geneticist, rheumatologist, or physiotherapist can actually use.
Features
Juno is designed to take some of the admin load off with calmer check-ins, clearer pattern tracking, and support that stays useful between appointments.
Keep one calm place for what changed, what felt worse, and what might have triggered it so ehlers-danlos syndrome flare days do not blur together.
Voice or text check-ins turn subluxations and dislocations (per joint), pain location and intensity, fatigue into a structured timeline, so you do less manual logging on already hard days.
Find people who understand the day-to-day reality of ehlers-danlos syndrome and feel less alone between appointments.
See what is draining you and pace the week more gently around ehlers-danlos syndrome, especially when triggers start to stack up.
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You usually can’t tell by looking. A doctor checks how far the joints bend (the Beighton score), looks at the skin, scars and bruising, and asks about dislocations, pain and family history. Hypermobile EDS is diagnosed this way using the 2017 criteria. Most other types are confirmed with a genetic test.
EDS is genetic, so people are born with it, but symptoms often show in childhood and become clearer with age. In a 2024 survey of people with hEDS, symptoms began at a median age of 10 and diagnosis took about 10 years. In vascular EDS, the first serious problem often comes in early adulthood.
EDS type 3 is the old name for hypermobile EDS (hEDS), the most common type. Typical symptoms are joints that bend further than usual and may partly or fully dislocate, long-lasting joint and muscle pain, fatigue, soft skin that bruises easily, gut problems such as heartburn or constipation, and dizziness with a faster heart rate on standing.
There are three parts. First, joints that bend more than usual, usually a Beighton score of 5 or more, or 4 over age 50. Second, two of these three: signs in the skin and body, a close relative with hEDS, or long-lasting pain or repeated dislocations. Third, other conditions have been ruled out.
Yes. Around 1 in 30 people have hypermobile joints, and most don’t have EDS or any problems from it. If flexible joints cause pain, sprains or dislocations but you don’t meet the criteria for EDS, doctors may diagnose hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), which is managed in the same way as hEDS.
Yes, many people with EDS have flare-ups, when pain, fatigue or joint instability get worse for days or weeks. Pacing your activities can help you avoid them. In a flare, people often use braces, gentle movement, heat or cold, and TENS, alongside any medicines their doctor advises. Get checked for a new dislocation or muscle weakness.
Some symptoms seem to have nothing to do with joints. People with hEDS often report fatigue, dizziness on standing, reflux and constipation, heavy periods, bladder leaks, dry eyes, poor sleep, and local anaesthetic that works poorly at the dentist. Small bumps on the heels when standing and unexplained stretch marks are also common.
Yes, for most types. Classical, vascular and the rarer types can be confirmed with a genetic blood test, usually arranged through a genetics service. There is no genetic test for hypermobile EDS yet, so it is diagnosed by examination using the 2017 criteria. Ask your GP or family doctor about a referral.
There is no single way. Many people with hypermobile joints find it hard to sit still and shift position often. Some, especially children, sit in positions that push joints to the end of their range, such as W-sitting. Physiotherapists usually advise changing position often and using support such as a seat wedge or lumbar roll.
It can be. What counts is how it affects you, not the diagnosis itself. In the US, the ADA covers an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. In the UK, the Equality Act covers a substantial, long-term effect on daily activities. Benefits such as Social Security disability or PIP depend on how it affects you.
EDS is a group of 13 inherited conditions that affect connective tissue, which supports the skin, joints, blood vessels and organs. The types share features such as joint hypermobility, stretchy skin and tissue fragility, but differ in their genetic cause, severity and the organs involved.
Yes. That overlap is the point. Juno keeps symptoms from different conditions on one timeline, so you do not have to split your history across several apps.
No. Diagnosis is a clinical and genetic process. Juno helps you bring an organised picture into that conversation.
Other conditions
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