This month is endometriosis awareness month, and the world is hoping to bring awareness to an illness that affects many women, without them even knowing. Women’s reproductive health is a subject that is not often written or taught about even in school curriculums, but it’s a very important topic. It’s not right that this issue is neglected, as many women live their lives each day without knowledge about their own body and its processes, and if they are healthy or not.
Endometriosis is a lot more common than you might think, and you may not even know that it existed before you read this blog. If you didn’t know about it, then you’ve come to the right place.
Endometriosis is a reproductive health issue that occurs in women. It causes severe abdominal pain which is often worse or apparent during menstruation. It also causes excessive bleeding during this time, pain with bowel movements and infertility. This illness is debilitating and chronic.
The reason it is so hard to diagnose is because of the confusion between normal cramping during menstruation, and endometriosis, and patients are often reluctant to check up on it because they think that it is normal to be in so much pain, which is completely incorrect. This is a consequence of a lack of information throughout the world.
Essentially, cells from the uterus (endometrium) lining detach and get into the abdomen, where they grow and cause lesions or cysts. They also do their usual job, thicken and release blood at the start of the cycle, but instead they bleed into the abdominal cavity.
Endometriosis is not to be confused with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes similar symptoms.
1 in 10 women are affected by this illness. 1 in 10. That is 176 million women worldwide. It is the second most common gynaecological issue in the UK.
There are possible treatments to help manage the symptoms of this condition, find out more here.
March is Endometriosis awareness month, and the yellow ribbon is shown as a symbol of allegiance. Please if you are able to, go to endometriosis-uk.org and donate, spread the message and send a friend this blog. If you know someone who suffers from this disease, make sure they are well-supported.
If you could draw one thing from this blog, I would want you to know that if you are in pain or are having problems, man or woman, uterus or not, be this mental or physical health, you must seek out help. Ignoring what your body is telling you only ends worse, it is important to be mindful and listen to yourself, to look after yourself. You are never alone.
Thank you for reading this blog!