March 6th - 12th: Endometriosis Awareness Week

This week is European Endometriosis Awareness Week. Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, and the diagnosis takes the average of 7,5 years - that is why Endometriosis UK orgnanises various campaigns this week and throughout the year, in order to raise awareness of this disease and encourage women to learn to recognize the signs of the condition and get tested for it as early as possible.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis (pronounced en- doh – mee – tree – oh – sis) is the name given to the condition where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body. Each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape.

It is a chronic and debilitating condition that can have a significant impact on a woman’s life in a number of ways.

What are the symptoms?

The endometriosis symptoms can vary in intensity from one woman to another, and the amount of endometriosis does not always correspond to the amount of pain and discomfort experienced. Some women with endometriosis experience symptoms while others do not.

The classic endometriosis symptoms include:

    - Painful, heavy, or irregular periods
    - Pain during or after sex
    - Infertility
    - Painful bowel movements
    - Fatigue
    - Symptoms of irritable bowel
    - Pain when passing urine

All of the symptoms above may have other causes and may not necessarily be endometriosis symptoms. It is important to seek medical advice to clarify the cause of any symptoms. If symptoms change after diagnosis it is important to discuss these changes with your doctor.  It is easy to relate all problems to endometriosis, but it may not always be the reason.

The diagnosis

Getting diagnosed with endometriosis may take some time. The symptoms of endometriosis are very similar to other common conditions. It's important to share as much information with your doctor as possible.

The only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is by a laparoscopy - an operation in which a camera (a laparoscope) is inserted into the pelvis via a small cut near the navel. The surgeon uses the camera to see the pelvic organs and look for any signs of endometriosis. If endometriosis is diagnosed, the endometriosis may be treated or removed for further examination during the laparoscopy.

Scans, blood tests and internal examinations are not a conclusive way to diagnose endometriosis and a normal scan, blood test and internal examination does not mean that you do not have endometriosis.

Because endometriosis manifests itself in a variety of ways and shares symptoms with other conditions, diagnosis can be difficult and often delayed.  Recent research shows that there is now an average of 7.5 years between women first seeing a doctor about their symptoms and receiving a firm diagnosis.

There are many ways you can get involved in raising awareness of endometriosis this week and all year round. Find out more on https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-awareness-week-2017.