By Kefiloe Kajane
Endometriosis is a disease that affects 11 percent women populations between the ages of 15 to 44. Women who experienced this condition say it is a long unbearable journey.
It is a disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that forms the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterine cavity. The lining of the uterus is called the endometrium. It affects adolescents and reproductive-aged women characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and commonly associated with chronic pelvic pain and infertility.
According to Women’s Wealth Africa, despite a range of symptoms, diagnosis of endometriosis is often delayed due to lack of non-invasive, definitive and consistent biomarkers for diagnosis of endometriosis. Hormone therapy and analgesics are used for treatment of symptomatic endometriosis.
Malijo Baji, a woman whose 13-year old daughter has been diagnosed with endometriosis, reveals the challenges her daughter faced and what she, as a caretaker and parent to a daughter with endometriosis, went through.
Baji says when her daughter was four years old she used to have regular nose bleeds, and sometimes the bleeding would go on for two weeks.
As a result, they consulted different doctors who were not able to diagnose her. One doctor even suggested she has blood clotting; but even with the diagnose and medication, the nose bleeding never stopped.
“When she turned 10 years old she started her periods. That is when things took a turn for the worse. The nose bleeding continued, and now she would bleed from the ears and mouth.
“It was not until we found a doctor that was able to diagnose her and told us that she has endometriosis. I had to sit down with her to explain to her what this means to her as a teenager and how it is going to affect her life. She is now 14 years old.
“I hope parents pay attention to their children so they can notice even the smallest signs. We should erase the mentality that period pains are just a normal thing and not an illness because our daughter could really be sick sometimes,” Baji said.
Endometriosis survivor ‘Makena Setho-Letsie says her journey with endometriosis has been long, painful and unbearable, and left her with two major surgeries.
She said for the longest time doctors could not diagnose her and it was difficult for her at work as every time should would go on her monthly periods, it would be a struggle because her employers would think she was just being lazy and did not want to work.
“I remember going to the doctor and at some point telling her to test me for endometriosis, but she said now I think I know more than her. I had done lots of research about my symptoms and got to a point where I actually wanted to be tested for endometriosis.
“I was fortunate to finally find a gynecologist that was willing to listen to me and diagnose me correctly; that is why I am here today. Parents should not have the mentality that their girl child is just lazy and that period pains are nothing new and they should be strong; there could be a bigger problem,” she said
Women’s Health indicates that most women with endometriosis report the onset of symptoms during adolescence; early referral, diagnosis, identification of disease and treatment may mitigate pain, prevent disease progression and thus preserve fertility.
Women’s Health Africa explains that barriers to early diagnosis include the high cost of diagnosis and treatment in adolescent patients and presentation of confounding symptoms such as cyclic and acyclic pain.
It further explains that pelvic pain is the most common symptom of endometriosis. This also include pain in the lower abdomen during and after menstruation, cramps one and two weeks around menstruation, heavy menstrual bleeding or bleeding between periods, and infertility.
