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Disclaimer: This post was written for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor, and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Endometriosis is a very common and frustrating condition to live with because it is often believed to be just a bad period and not taken seriously by medical professionals. I have been living with pelvic pain for several years, which got worse around my period that was recently diagnosed as endometriosis. What is endometriosis? Endometriosis is a full-body chronic disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, which can cause fertility issues. chronic pain and very painful periods. Endometriosis is a relatively common, well-known disease that is often misunderstood as bad period cramps, just like migraine is misunderstood as a bad headache. Endometriosis can be difficult for people without the condition to understand because there is so much stigma around it. It is so important that we unlearn these myths because it is hurting patients can delaying care. What are some of the most common endometriosis myths? In this post, I am going to bust some of the most common endometriosis myths that you may have heard that you need to stop believing.
You only get pain on your period- When you have endometriosis, the first symptom is often bad period cramps and sometimes people may think you only get pain on your period, but that is so far from true. I live with constant pelvic pain that is not always severe, and most days you don’t have to medicate to manage it, but it affects every aspect of your life, not just your period. When you have endometriosis, you get more intense pain on your period, but you don’t only have pain one week out of the month, and a lot of people live with debilitating chronic pain. If I only had severe pain one or two days out of the month, I could live with that, but the reality is my pelvic pain does not go away. Chronic pelvic pain is not something that everyone experiences, and some people only get pain on their period, or may not have pain at all, but the belief that you only get pain on your period is simply not true because it affects you all of the time.
It only affects your period- When you have endometriosis, people sometimes think that it only affects your menstrual cycle, but endometriosis is not a gynecological condition and can affect other functions of your body, such as your bladder or bowel, and in rare cases, your lungs. Endometriosis can be very difficult to manage, destroying major organs and sometimes other specialists have to be involved for the management of it. Endometriosis often will cause more painful periods but you can experience significant pain when you are not on your period. Endometriosis should be treated as a full-body disease but often it isn’t and patients aren’t getting the care they need and the disease progresses which leads to worse outcomes.
Surgery cures endometriosis– There are a lot of effective treatments that can help manage unbearable pain, and surgery can be an option for people who are not getting relief from medication. It is usually the last resort because like most surgeries, it doesn’t always give you the positive outcomes we were hoping for. Surgery can be an option for some people, but it’s not a cure because endometriosis has no cure, and some people may get no relief from surgery, or it may come back. Surgery is not usually recommended as the first treatment because there are a lot of effective medications, such as hormonal birth control and pain medication, that can give you some relief, and not everyone needs surgery. Surgery can provide significant relief to some people, but it is not a cure, and you still may have to make lifestyle changes after surgery to avoid recurrence.
Pregnancy cures endometriosis– Endometriosis patients are often told by doctors that if we get pregnant, it will cure endometriosis. When you get pregnant, sometimes the pain goes away temporarily because you are not actively getting your period, but it comes back when you are not pregnant, and for some people, it comes back worse. Pregnancy does not cure endometriosis, and it is common for women with endometriosis to have fertility issues. If you want to get pregnant, do it for the right reasons, and if any doctor tells you pregnancy cures endometriosis, find a new doctor.
Everyone with endometriosis experiences pain– I have chronic pelvic pain because of endometriosis, but not everyone experiences pain. Some people may have no pain and only find out they have it because they tried to get pregnant and couldn’t.
More pain means disease progression- Your level of pain is a very poor indicator of how severe your endometriosis is because you can have severe pain with mild disease and have a severe case with no pain.
Ablation is the best way to treat endometriosis– There are two types of surgeries that can be done to treat endometriosis, and those are ablation and excision. Ablation and excision surgery can both be good treatment options, but they are not the same thing, and one is better than the other. Ablation is when you burn the surface of the lesions, while with excision, you cut out the disease at its root. Ablation is a less major procedure, but excision surgery is the gold standard for endometriosis, and the problem with ablation is that if you have deep endometriosis, some of the disease can be missed. A general gynecologist is able to perform an ablation, but excision surgery is more involved and often requires a specialist to be done right.
Endometriosis is not a gynecological condition, and it’s a full-body disease that affects you all the time. Period pain is something that all woman who gets periods will experience, but endometriosis period pain is not your normal period pain. Endometriosis period pain is often so debilitating that you can barely function, and is considered to be one of the most painful conditions. It is normal to have period cramps, but you should be able to function, and if you can’t, it’s probably something you should talk to your doctor about because no one should have to live like that. Endometriosis is a common disease that can take years to get diagnosed because doctors don’t get enough training, and women are often dismissed and told that all women get cramps. Not all period pain is endometriosis, but you should talk to your doctor about it if you think you have it, because the earlier you can treat it, the better off you will be. What myths about endometriosis do you wish people knew? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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