End’ing the silence – Empowering women to speak up and seek support about their Endometriosis
Endometriosis affects up to 1 in 10 women and often takes those affected an average of seven years to receive their diagnosis. This is because it is a condition often dismissed by the sufferer as intense period pains but in reality, this condition can be physically, emotionally and in some cases, financially debilitating for many women as they may be unable to work. The condition can also be mistaken for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in its early stages of diagnosis as the condition can affect the bowel habit and cause bowel pain.
One of the main reasons why Endometriosis takes a longer time to be diagnosed is because women often feel ‘embarrassed’ to talk about their periods with their GP and dismiss the pain as normal.
We spoke with Helen Walshe, Clinical Nurse Specialist about the importance of seeking diagnosis and encouraging open conversations for women about their pain.
Nurse Helen said: “Seeking support early is important. Endometriosis usually affects women of reproductive age from the start of menstruation to when you begin to go through the menopause. At this point oestrogen levels reduce significantly, and pain should also. This is because endometriosis is stimulated by the body’s circulating oestrogen.
The condition is often painful due to the displacement of ‘endometrial tissue’ that typically lines the womb; the tissue for those with Endometriosis makes its way to the pelvis typically affecting structures such as the bowel, bladder, tubes, ovaries and ligaments. These areas of endometrial tissue bleed at the same time as the menstrual cycle causing, sometimes excruciating pain for sufferers.
Endometriosis can cause; pelvic pain, an irritable bowel, pain during intercourse, fatigue, infertility, lower back pains, urinary pain and bloating that can affect women both physically and emotionally.
Laparoscopy remains the gold standard test for diagnosing endometriosis but with advancements in scanning methods, these can be increasingly used.
Our Endometriosis Centre is accredited by the British Society of Gynaecology Endoscopy (BSGE) as a specialist centre for Endometriosis in the West Midlands. As such, we are able to offer surgery to remove endometriosis in the most severe cases.
Nurse Helen shares: “Endometriosis is a condition that is managed rather than cured. Women can choose different methods of treatment varying from physiotherapy, acupuncture and pain relief methods like using a tens machine or taking oral medicine right through to major surgery. They can also go through hormonal treatment to help slow the growth of endometrial tissue by reducing oestrogen levels. Our team work to find the best methods to manage Endometriosis for each individual patient’s needs.”
If you yourself are concerned that you may have endometriosis, please speak with your GP for a referral. We’d like to say a big thank you to Nurse Specialist Helen Walshe for taking the time to speak with us about Endometriosis and how patients can seek support and spot the signs and symptoms before the progress.
Across the next few weeks for Endometriosis Month, we’re encouraging women to share their Endometriosis stories with us to empower more women to speak up and seek support. If you would like to share your story with us, please contact bwc.communications@nhs.net.