A diagnosis of Endometriosis can feel like a relief.
Woman-splanation
Endometriosis feels like a semi is running through your body, driven by a dare-devil trainee who never learned how to use the double-clutch technique. Menstrual symptoms are cranked up well past 11— closer to 30 if we're honest— scarring you internally, causing unpredictable periods, enough pain to stop your life in its tracks, and maybe even threatening your fertility.
It's caused by cells tasked with forming the inner lining of the uterus growing elsewhere in the body— anywhere from other parts of your reproductive system, to organs like the appendix and (rarely) lungs.
The answer means treatment; the possibility of having children and a normal life.
— And it only took 7-10 years, an exploratory surgery, and a biopsy to get here!
Nearly a decade of putting your life on pause whenever it rears its ugly head.
Nearly a decade of fighting to get pregnant at a high cost to your physical & mental health— not to mention your wallet if you choose one of the many fertility options out there.
Nearly a decade.
Options
Early diagnosis is key, but you have to rule out a virtual encyclopedia of other possibilities.
Treatments include ablation (surgical burning of the uterine wall to reduce or eliminate bleeding), hormones, and other surgeries depending on severity. Oh yay.
FOX 17 Women's Health Expert, Dr. Diana Bitner lays out the numbers:
6 million women diagnosed in the U.S
200 million women diagnosed around the world
7-10 years: how long (on average) it takes to get a diagnosis
30-40: age range most women get their diagnosis
4 in 10: women suffering from infertility due to endometriosis
8 in 10: women who experience relapse within 2 years of symptom-relieving surgery
0: number of cures available
Resource: ACOG.org
Researchers are now discovering that the most common symptom— menstrual blood— could hold the key to early diagnosis.
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says it's still pretty early in the study to tell, but it could mean reducing the time it takes to get that answer and the treatment you need.
FOX 17 Women's Health Tip of the Week
Push for your doctor and gynecologist to get the ball rolling— not just on treating the symptoms— by finding their underlying cause.
And for the researchers— please keep going. Your work is appreciated by the millions of women suffering and striving for relief.
In the meantime, hold on, sister. Help is coming.
