But, every now and again, you do get something that the majority of people don't know about, and in those cases an awareness campaign can be helpful. After all, you can't fix a problem if people don't know it exists. And this month's awareness topic is one that I'm more familiar with than I'd like to be--Endometriosis.
Endometriosis is one of those problems that's not widely known. I mean, it should be--since I was diagnosed with it, it seems like everyone I know knows another woman who has it. But there's no cure, they don't know what causes it, and, frankly, the available treatment options suck balls. We're not even sure exactly how many women suffer from it because the only way it can be definitively be diagnosed is surgically.
Here are some of the few things we do know about endo:
- Endometriosis is when, for whatever reason, the tissue that normally grows inside the uterus and sheds every month grows outside of the uterus instead.
- The most common symptom of endo is pain, typically in the pelvic region. The amount of pain appears to be unrelated to the severity of the disease. This pain occurs mostly frequently during a woman's menses, but can happen at any time of the month. It can even be constant instead of only being for a few days at a time.
- There is no cure. Many endometriosis cases end in a hysterectomy, but it is possible for it to recur if all of the endometrial growths are not removed.
- The "gold standard" for treatment is laparoscopic surgery. This is often follow by hormonal treatments (i.e. birth control or other medications) to prevent it from coming back.
- Endometriosis can cause infertility--in the same vein, many women who suffer from it can still have children with few or no complications.
Like many "invisible" diseases endometriosis causes a host of other problems for those who suffer from it. There are the typical emotional struggles anyone who suffers from chronic pain experiences--depression, despair, and hopelessness--as well as increased absences from work or school. Worst of all is probably the way in which endometriosis symptoms tend to be trivialized as "girl problems." Indeed, there is nothing quite as awful as being in excruciating pain and having it brushed off as PMS. Personally, I've been fairly lucky--at the same time, I have a very limited number of personal days--for more than that, I have to have a doctor's note. For endometriosis related issues, this is, frankly, ridiculous. There's not really anything a doctor can do about it other than give me pain killers (which will either render me insensible or not touch the pain) and look at me like I'm crazy for wanting a doctor's note for menstrual cramps. Once I've been there a year, I'll be eligible for additional days off through FMLA, but, in the meantime, I just have to hope that my monthlies stay bearable. And I'm lucky. There are women out there who can't work at all due to the pain.
Endometriosis is a very serious, and very real problem that most people don't even know about. By increasing awareness about it, we can make life easier for those who suffer from it and hopefully increase funding to research so we can find a cure for it. This is not something anyone should have to deal with, and if we can prevent future generations from suffering like this, then maybe our pain won't be for nothing.
Linkfest for more information:
Mayo Clinic fact sheet on Endometriosis
Endometriosis.org
Endometriosis Foundation of America
Endometriosis Research Center
