22 Mar Endometriosis is more than a painful period

The Worldwide Endo March is a campaign aimed at raising awareness of Endometriosis, a common disease where tissue, similar to the lining of the womb that sheds during menstruation, grows in other parts of the body.

Whilst endometriosis most often affects the reproductive organs, it is frequently found in the bowel and bladder and has been found in muscle, joints, the lungs and the brain.

Because so many women experience painful menstruation cycles, endometriosis is one of the most difficult conditions for doctors to identify, it takes, on average, 6.5 years to be
diagnosed.

The symptoms range from an upset stomach to depression. In fact, some women experience no symptoms at all. Women with no symptoms often only learn about the issue when they try to get pregnant and find they can’t. This condition has often been misdiagnosed as a digestive issue or a mental illness.

Here are the main symptoms to watch out for:

• chronic pelvic pain (especially before and during your period)
• pain during sex
• cramping during bowel movements or when urinating
• extremely heavy periods that seem to worsen over time
• chronic exhaustion

More than 830,000 (11%) of Australian women, also called EndoWarriors, suffer from endometriosis at some point in their life with the disease often starting in teenagers.

Our own EndoWarrior, Rebecca McAuliffe, encourages women, who have symptoms, to take the first step forward and talk to their doctor and if answers aren’t found, to ask to see a specialist.

You can read Bec’s powerful journey with endometriosis by clicking here.

For more information you can visit https://www.endometriosisaustralia.org/.

You can contact TDHS on (03) 5558 6000 to make an appointment with our Community Health Nurse or call (03) 5558 6088 for an appointment with one of our GP’s at the Timboon Clinic.