Around 176 million women around the world suffer from endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic and often debilitating disease that affects women during the prime of their life. Due to the complex nature of endometriosis and the fact that no one is entirely sure what causes it, there are a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease. Here are five of the myths dispelled:
1. Myth 1: There is a cure for endometriosis
At this point in time there is no known cure for endometriosis; after all we still don’t know definitively what causes it. There are treatments including surgery that can relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life. But before you get to treatment, you need to first obtain an accurate diagnosis of why you are suffering chronic pelvic pain.
2. Myth 2: Severe period pain is normal
No it is not. If you are in such pain that it interferes with your day-to-day activities it is not normal, nor is it okay. If you are experiencing chronic pain, OMNI Ultrasound offers a Sonovaginography which is a safe, no-downtime scan that can negate the need for two laparoscopies and exclude severe endometriosis before commencing fertility treatment.
3. Myth 3: You’re too young to have endometriosis
Wrong. If you are pre-menopausal endometriosis is not age specific. This myth has its origins in the 1970s when laparotomy was the only way to diagnose the disease. Due to the nature of this procedure, only women in their 30 – 40s were operated on. And so the conclusion was reached that endometriosis was a disease of women in their 30s and 40s.
With the introduction of the minimal access laparoscopy, gynaecologists were able to diagnose the disease in women in their 20s and early 30s. The only problem with this is that it seems like they found the disease because they were looking for it.
4. Myth 4: Pregnancy cures endometriosis
Wrong. As we’ve already said there is no known cure for endometriosis at this time. Thankfully, the myth that pregnancy is a cure for endometriosis is disappearing.
The truth of the matter is that pregnancy may supress symptoms associated with endometriosis, but after childbirth it will return, once you stop breast feeding.
5. Myth 5: Abortion causes endometriosis
No. People who are of this opinion are getting endometritis and endometriosis confused. They are two different conditions.
Diagnosing Endometriosis
At OMNI Ultrasound & Gynaecological Care in Sydney we offer 3D Sonovaginography which is a safe, no-downtime scan to predict deep or severe infiltrating endometriosis. One of the advantages of a 3D Sonovaginography is that it provides your GP or Obstetrician extra information above a conventional sonography of the pelvis. If you are diagnosed with endometriosis at OMNI, our team can plan your management which may include the use of non-invasive hormonal approaches or in specific cases laparoscopic surgery for definitive treatment.
Talk to the team at OMNI Ultrasound & Gynaecological Care in Sydney to find out how we can help you. Contact us today.