Do yourself a solid and go chat with your doctor if you struggle with painful periods or sex
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which tissue grows on the outside of the uterus. A study of 30,000 Canadian women by Sukkbir Singh, a researcher from the Ottawa Hospital, and colleagues found that seven per cent had been diagnosed with endometriosis.
Endometriosis can be difficult to diagnose as the symptoms are often considered normal for those with uteruses. Symptoms can include severe menstrual and non-menstrual pelvic pain and cramping, pelvic pressure, abdominal pain, irregular and heavy periods, and pain associated with sex. While some of these symptoms come with having a period, the study indicated that those with endometriosis are more likely to experience more severe levels of these symptoms compared to those who do not have endometriosis.
Many people who have endometriosis experience negative impacts on their quality of life and social life. According to Healthline, if left untreated endometriosis can cause a number of health issues such as bowel obstruction, chronic pain, infertility, and ovarian cysts.
It’s important to check in with your doctor if you’re experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms. Know however that the experience of getting diagnosed with endometriosis can be long and difficult. A meta-analysis in Women’s Health Reports indicated that those with endometriosis felt that general practitioners had insufficient knowledge of endometriosis, and normalized and trivialized the symptoms as “a women’s issue.”
These reasons may be why Singh and colleagues found that it takes an average of five and a half years to be diagnosed after symptoms start. However, they also noted that it took people three years after symptoms started to seek medical care.
It’s worth noting though that the meta-analysis also found that having a supportive doctor, having a doctor who could communicate well, and being referred to specialized care (e.g. a gynecologist) resulted in better experiences.
So, if you think something is wrong, it’s best to seek medical care to start the process of investigating the issues. Even if you think your experience with menstruation and pain is normal, if it is negatively impacting your life, seeking medical care could help relieve symptoms or diagnose the problem.
Given the difficulties of diagnosing endometriosis, it’s important that you are advocating for your care. Find a doctor that will listen to you and can communicate in a way you understand. You can also ask to be referred to a specialist. Charis Chambers, an OBGYN and educator (@theperioddoctor), gives three suggestions to advocate for yourself at doctors visits: focus the visit on the issue you want to address, take notes, and ask questions about the risks, benefits, and alternative options of their suggestions.
A version of this article appeared in print in The Ontarion issue 191.1 on Aug. 26, 2021.
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