A little while ago I happened to attend a friend’s fundraiser where she was looking to raise $25,000 for her endometriosis surgery. The situation was honestly sad and heartbreaking. She told us about how she had struggled with horrible period cramps for almost 10 years and every one either offered temporary solutions or told her that it was part of being a woman and the pain was normal. 10 years down the road and here we were trying to raise $25,000 for her surgery.

To be honest, I had never really heard about endometriosis before this. Like many women, I thought that pain during your period is a normal part of life and all you need to do is pop some pain killers when that time of the month rolls around. However, now I see things differently. Ladies, if your period pain is severe, please make sure to go to a doctor and get it checked out! We weren’t meant to deal with that level of pain and there is no medal for how much pain you can take. Society has made it seem like pain is just “normal” but the truth is that not all of us experience the same level of pain so you can’t base your experience off of that of the woman next to you. If anything feels off in your body, please get it checked out immediately. Your well-being and health should always be a priority.

I had a conversation with someone else and she shared with me how she had done a pelvic exam in her 20’s because she knew she wanted to have children in her 30’s but she was not sure when. Extremely painful cramps set off alarms in her head and she decided to get a check up to rule out endometriosis, fibroids, and any other complications that might affect her chances of becoming a mother in her 30’s when she was ready. People thought she was crazy for running all these tests but she knew that she had to do it for herself. We need to really start taking care of our bodies no matter what everyone around us thinks.

Research by the World Health Organisation shows that roughly 10% of  women and girls of childbearing age deal with endometriosis. This is estimated to be about 190 million women in the world. To make the number more understandable, this is approximately one in every ten women you might know.

What is endometriosis you may ask? Endometriosis is a gynecologic disorder which occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrium) grows outside the uterus and can impact surrounding organs such as the ovaries, bowels, bladder and fallopian tubes. Common symptoms of endometriosis may include chronic pelvic pain, heavy bleeding between and during periods, bloating, nausea, fatigue and depression. Some women with endometriosis might not experience any of the common symptoms of endometriosis and might, instead, experience symptoms that seem like regular PMS symptoms.

As women, we have been taught that incapacitating pelvic pain/cramps are a badge of honor and we are supposed to suck it up and smile through the pain. Period cramps are normal when they last for 1-3 days, but if your cramps are affecting your day to day life, you need to get checked. Excruciatingly painful period cramps should be your first warning. Other indicators could be pain during sex or during bowel movements and urination.

What causes endometriosis? Although the exact cause is not certain, according to Mayo Clinic, there are a few explanations as to what causes endometriosis and they include:

• Retrograde menstruation. This is where menstrual blood containing endometrial cells flows back to the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity. The cells start to grow again outside the uterus and thicken with every cycle.
• Surgical scar implantation. This usually happens when endometrial cells attach to scars from surgeries like a c-section or hysterectomy.
• Immune system disorder. With this disorder, the body can’t recognize and destroy the endometrial tissue growing out the uterus.

There is also a possibility that endometriosis runs in the family. Let’s normalize having conversations with our family members about topics like this so that we can see if certain symptoms or illnesses run in the family.

There are a couple risk factors of endometriosis. These include infertility, low body mass index, heavy and painful periods that last longer than 7 days, and high levels of estrogen. As much as  endometriosis is scary, if it is caught early, it can be managed. A pelvic exam is highly recommended if you experience any of the symptoms. It only takes a few minutes and it is used to assess the health of your vagina, cervix, ovaries, rectum, and the general health of your pelvic floor. A pap smear can also be done to rule out the possibility of cervical cancer.

There is no cure for endometriosis but there are a few ways to manage it. From changing your diet to the more extreme measure of getting surgery, there are different holistic and medical treatments that are available to women who suffer from endometriosis. I hope that, by reading this article, you have gotten the push that you need to to take care of your reproductive health and to understand that you are indeed not crazy if you feel that the excruciating pain you are experiencing is not normal. Go get checked and take care of yourself.

Related Topics: Endometriosis management, How do I know I have Endometriosis, symptoms of endometriosis,