Endo-what?
Image courtesy of Womanly Magazine.
Half of women who are infertile have endometriosis. But how does this disease - which causes symptoms like constant, debilitating pain and chronic fatigue - affect sufferers’ careers and education?
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition related to the uterus. This is when the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, is found outside of the uterus on other organs such as the uterus and fallopian tubes. It can also be found on organs such as the bowels, stomach, kidneys. Endometriosis has been known to spread as far as the lungs and nasal cavities. The endometrium is made up of blood and tissue that prepares the uterus for pregnancy every month.
What does the disease do?
Endometriosis causes symptoms such as chronic pain, infertility, nausea, insomnia, weight gain, weight loss, and chronic fatigue.
The chronic pain because an issue when the endometriosis tissue bleeds with the menstrual cycle. This causes scar tissue to form inside of the body and form adhesions, which bond the organs. This cycle causes both organ damage and failure. If the disease spreads to the appendix it can cause the appendix to become inflamed and burst. Endometriosis growth on the lungs can cause respiratory issues. Growth on the bowels causes digestion issues.
Other issues associated with this disease is that chronic pain and fatigue are leading contributors to depression and anxiety as shown by studies at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
Who does it affect?
Approximately 10% of women and girls, suffer with endometriosis. This is approximately 176 million people worldwide. For comparison, this means it affects the same amount of people as diabetes. Studies show that 50% of women who are being treated for infertility have endometriosis.
image courtesy of Harvard Health.
Why does it affect these women?
There is not a known cause of endometriosis, which means that there is no way to predict who will develop it. Endometriosis Foundation of America studies have led doctors to believe it may be caused by Sampson’s Theory retrograde menstruation. Others studies from the US Library of Medicine show that the disease is genetic, so you are more likely to have endometriosis if your mother and sister have it. Currently there is no cure for endometriosis.
How does it affect schooling and careers? Does it? Do we have facts and statistics?
Statistics show that suffering with chronic pain and fatigue makes it difficult to focus because of the way these things affect your ability to focus. A census from the United Kingdom showed that 40% of women with endometriosis say that it has affected their career. Ironically, endometriosis has historically been known as the “career woman’s disease” because it was believed that it was caused by not falling pregnant/having children due to focusing on career and education The same British census found that constant pain can cause women to lose 10 hours a week on average.
Written by: Devon Clare Banfield
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