How you can overcome endometriosis

ABAYOMI AJAYI FROM PUNCH

Your body is fully yours, so you need to take control of it. This is why it is necessary to continue to raise awareness, especially among young girls, to understand what the condition known as endometriosis is all about.

Endometriosis is a condition that arises from misplaced/displaced endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus). The endometrium or endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus. The breakdown of this tissue and inflammation each month can cause scar tissue to form and even make the internal organs stick together, leading to chronic pelvic pain in reproductive-aged women as well as other symptoms.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month globally. In Nigeria, the campaign against endometriosis has been on consistently since 2005, thanks to the Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria. Over the years, more and more people, particularly young women and married ladies, are taking real interest in endometriosis.

Continuous enlightenment is necessary because doctors often miss the diagnosis of endometriosis, and sometimes, all that is needed is just to ask the doctor whether it is possible that you have it. It might just be what the doctor needs to make the puzzle fall into place.

Endometriosis disrupts the lives of women that are affected and robs them of the best things in life, even their marriage. Being empowered about the menace of endometriosis is important.

It is important to raise awareness among young ladies about this condition. If you know enough, it is likely to come in handy for you, a friend or relative. It is not about your wish; it is a reality. If you know as much as possible about it, it would only be to your advantage. Happily, knowledge and awareness about it have got better from year to year.

It is not everyone with endometriosis that will exhibit pain or symptoms, though. Most are commonly diagnosed through alaparoscopy, a pelvic examination, abdominal surgery or after a medication trial when trying to conceive.

Common symptoms include pain before, during, and after a menstrual period, a family history of endometriosis or pelvic pain, or frequent or persistent sharp and dull pelvic pain. Others are pain during intercourse, pain during bowel movements or urination, bladder pain and generalised abdominal discomfort.