What is Endometriosis?

The disease where answers are needed, research is required and understanding is seriously lacking


What is endometriosis


This article is about raising awareness of endometriosis as so many have still not heard about this disease unless it affects them or a member of their family.  But even with increased awareness many do not understand the gravity and seriousness of this disease ..... they think its just a bad period ......

 

The real truth is that doctors, scientists and researchers do not really know what endometriosis is.  They do know what the end results are, but these are not the same for every woman.  This disease cannot be caught like other diseases. It is an insidious disease that gradually develops and symptoms creep up and increase over time.


Fundamentally, endometriosis is a chronic and serious physical malfunction, originating in the reproductive organs, striking millions of women in their most formative years. It is a complex disabling disease, with many symptoms, and has huge repercussions in a woman’s’ life. 

 

Endometriosis causes very bad pain for most, may cause infertility, causes damage to the organs in the pelvic cavity, and leads to far-reaching life changes, distress and anguish.

 

The term endometriosis is derived from ancient Greek:

endo  means inside

metra mean womb

osis means disease or abnormality


Little progress has been made in the medical field in relation to obtaining timely diagnosis or successful treatment - despite its significance as an increasing world-wide health problem.  Most of the treatment available today revolves around the management of pain, drug intervention of the reproductive cycle and surgery to cut out the diseased tissue and removal of adhesions that can occur in the abdomen. 

 

There is currently no mainstream medical procedure that is guaranteed to remove the disease for good.  In many cases, after chemical or surgical intervention, there may be a short period of relief, but often the disease returns. This leads to women have recurring surgeries – with an added issue of additional scarring caused by surgery.

 

This disease is fast becoming a scourge among females of child-bearing age and beyond.  Let’s look at some facts and statistics:


  • It causes infertility in about 40 percent of its sufferers
  • This disease has a huge financial impact on women with the loss of income and loss of jobs
  •  There are over 6 million women and young girls in the US with this disease - and growing daily
  •  It is estimated that there are about 176 million women suffering with this disease world-wide.
  •  This estimated number of women suffering from endometriosis is based on a figure of 10% to 15% of women in their reproductive years.  If the figure is only 10% of women who have it, that makes endometriosis one of the most common diseases on the face of the earth.  More common than diabetes, more common than cancer.
  •  Endometriosis accounts for more than 600,000 hysterectomies each year in the US alone – and rising
  • The income generated for gynaecologists by endometriosis related hysterectomies in the US alone comes to roughly $300,000,000 per year.  This is the cost for the operation only and does not include hospital costs.
  • It can take on the average 9.28 years for a woman to get a diagnosis
  • If you do a search on the Internet for Endometriosis you get approximately 7,500,000 results and growing.  And yet so few people have heard of it.   Why is that?


It is an invisible disease.  Most of the symptoms are internal, unless a woman is having a bad flare with endo-belly causing severe abdominal distention (and much discomfort).  There are no tangible outward manifestations with it.  Women do not walk around with a limp, or have to use crutches to get around, or have to use oxygen cylinders to aid breathing.  There are simply no real external physical clues.  Which is why it is not taken seriously.

 

Endometriosis is a classic invisible illness

 

Therefore, most doctors dismiss these women as being hysterical, hypochondriacs, or its ‘all in the head’.  It is only when women insist on further investigation due to relentless pain or serious problems with conception that they can then get to a specialist to look into her health problems further. 


Even then, this disease can only be diagnosed for certain by having an investigative operation that physically allows the surgeon to see inside the woman’s body with a laparoscopy.  It is then, and only then that all is revealed.

 

In some cases what can be found inside a woman’s abdomen can look like a battle-field.  There can be cysts all over the abdominal cavity, adhesions, and some of these adhesions can actually stick internal organs together.

 

But for nearly every woman who is told that ‘the cause of her problems has been found’, this can be a huge relief.  Simply because she now knows that there is a real and tangible reason why she has felt so awful and been in so much pain. 

 

She now knows what it is.  She can start to find out about it and get herself informed.  She can now take action for her own health - NOW THAT SHE KNOWS WHAT IT IS.  This is endometriosis.

 

Share this article to help spread awareness about this disease.  It may help someone else understand what their suffering is all about.

 

How has endometriosis affected your life?

Share with readers the different ways endometriosis has impacted your life, your family, your career, your social life and so on.





References:

endometriosis.org

webmd.com- endometriosis

Endometriosis-uk.org

Mayoclinic.org - endometriosis

http://endometriosis.org/resources/articles/facts-about-endometriosis/

https://www.webmd.com/women/endometriosis/myths-facts-endometriosis#1

https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-facts-and-figures

https://www.self.com/story/when-doctors-miss-your-endometriosis-diagnosis

 https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/blog/10-things-you-should-know-about-endometriosis/

 




About the Author

My name is Carolyn Levett, the Founder of endo-resolved - I am an Integrative Health Coach having studied nutrition, naturopathy, aromatherapy  as well as being a published author. I used to suffer from severe endometriosis and was able to regained my health and heal from the disease with the support of nutrition and natural therapies.

My motivation is to help other women with endometriosis to heal their bodies so they may overcome this awful disease without having to rely on toxic drugs and surgeries which can cause further damage  -  with healing thoughts, Carolyn.



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