March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.
1 in 10 women live with this currently incurable disorder. I first started struggling with Endo when I started having a regular period when I was 12. That was 21 years ago. 11 years ago, when I was 22, I was officially diagnosed after pelvic keyhole surgery. It had taken 10 years to be diagnosed and many trips to Doctors saying: 'I think I have #Endometriosis - I need help!' During surgery a lump of endometrial tissue was removed. The lump was described by my surgeon as being the size of a golfball. After surgery symptoms continued and I have struggled to maintain a professional life due to be incapacitated each month with chronic pain, fainting episodes, migraines, exhaustion, anemia and sometimes simply because the bloodloss is just too heavy to leave the house. I have also struggled to persue my passions! I have tried many pain-management medications and explored many expensive 'alternative' options to manage pain and dysmenorrhea with very little success. I experienced some reprieve from symptoms after the birth of my daughter but six years later I had a second child and for the last 18 months I have found life with Endo once again very difficult to manage. At times, my relationships have been negatively impacted, particularly my marriage. I wouldn't wish this disorder upon any woman and I think if men were living with it and having to manage the pain and it's impact on every area of their lives it would have received much more attention by now! Help us gain awareness during March so that one day soon we can diagnose and treat this condition better and work towards a cure. WOMEN'S HEALTH MATTERS! WOMEN MATTER! HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! |
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