It’s a condition rarely spoken about but endometriosis affects an estimated 176 million women, according to global forum endometriosis.org.
The impact of endometriosis can be severe, with some women experiencing chronic pain that interferes with their ability to maintain a career, a social life and subsequently maintain relationships and a livelihood.
Many women are misdiagnosed and have a delayed diagnosis which can impact the severity of their condition, this occurs mostly due to little education or a lack of awareness in the health industry on how to identify the disease.
This week writer, actor and creative all-rounder, Lena Dunham explained that she would be absent from press events for the sixth season of her TV show Girls, due to endometriosis. She spoke out about her condition on social media, opening up a dialogue about the disease that is often treated as a taboo.
In 2011 a global study into endometriosis, involving 1,418 women aged 18 to 45 in five continents, found the disease accounts for a significant “loss of productivity”, on average a loss of eleven hours per week of work, further contributing to a negative effect on mental health.
Two particular facts discovered in the study, speak to the insufficient education around the nature of the disease, they are that “women with endometriosis experienced an average delay of 7 years from symptom onset until they were finally diagnosed and treated.” and that only “two-thirds of women sought medical help for their symptoms before the age of 30.”
The World Endometriosis Society is hard at work to educate women and health professionals to encourage earlier detection and treatment. For more information on symptoms and treatment see endometriosis.org
