It is called the female disease, it is thought to be rare and some claim that the patients are blowing things out of proportion:
the data indicate that one out of every 10 women will suffer from endometriosis during her lifetime.
The month of March is the month for raising awareness of the disease, and its symbol is a yellow ribbon, reminiscent of the symbol of breast cancer.
To help raise awareness of the issue, Dr. Ido Sirota, senior expert in gynecological surgery at Raphael Hospital, explains about the common disease.
• Endometriosis patients: "Give us funding to preserve fertility"
• The budget for treatments in the field of women's health - less than 1% of the medicine basket in 2020
The main problem with the disease, explains Dr. Sirota, is the late diagnosis. "Many women are diagnosed with endometriosis years late.
This is due to the lack of awareness of the disease and its symptoms among the patients.
"Early diagnosis of the disease can prevent lasting damage to the patients' quality of life, and increase their chances of conceiving," he explains.
So what exactly is endometriosis?
"It is a gynecological disease that occurs most often in women of childbearing age, which manifests itself in the appearance of uterine cells in various areas outside the uterus, mainly in the pelvis and abdominal cavity. They create an inflammatory reaction that leads to pain, the formation of cysts, sensitive endometriosis foci and adhesions in the areas of inflammation. In most cases, endometriosis lesions will affect "The reproductive organs in the pelvis, including the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterine ligaments, and these will in turn lead to an effect on the woman's fertility and her chances of conceiving. Today, the cause of the development of the disease is not yet known, and some believe that it has a family and genetic connection," explains Sirota.
Examination at a hospital (those photographed have no relation to the news), photo: Yehoshua Yosef
Non-specific symptoms
What is the difficulty in diagnosing the disease?
"Diagnosing endometriosis can be a complex task, especially because of the varied symptoms. Among other things, the symptoms may include severe pain around the time of menstruation that radiates to the lower back and legs, pain during intercourse, prolonged menstrual bleeding, digestive system disorders, sensitivity and dull pain in the pelvis throughout the month, Chronic fatigue, urinary system disorders, mood swings and difficulty getting pregnant," says the expert.
"Today we know that the lack of specificity of the symptoms of the disease makes it very difficult to diagnose, and unfortunately even today many women are diagnosed with a delay of ten to 12 years on average. Late diagnosis hurts patients: in the short term, the symptoms of the disease cause great suffering to the patients, affect their quality of life and disrupt the Your ability to lead an active and healthy lifestyle."
And what happens in the long term?
"As the disease progresses, the patient's chances of conceiving in the future are impaired: about 50% of those suffering from the disease fail to get pregnant. Additional data indicate that 25%-50% of women experiencing infertility suffer from endometriosis," explains Dr. Sirota.
Therefore, the diagnosis of the disease is critical, and requires knowledge, experience and a deep understanding of the disease and the set of symptoms the patient suffers from, as well as an examination of her medical history and a thorough gynecological examination.
An unequivocal diagnosis of the disease is carried out by laparoscopy, which makes it possible to look for the suspicious findings of the disease in the abdomen and pelvis - and remove them if necessary.
The disease can be treated.
Operating room (illustration), photo: Getty Images
Good quality of life
And what treatment options does the medical world have to offer?
"There are effective treatment methods, which allow patients to live with a good quality of life alongside the disease. One of the most effective ways is laparoscopic surgery, the purpose of which is to remove the endometriosis lesions, separate adhesions and return the situation to normal. The success rate of the surgery is high, and many women benefit from it as a result of an improvement in their quality of life, for an increase in their chances of conceiving in the future and even for remission," explains Dr.
"Besides the surgical treatment, it is possible to offer hormonal treatment in the form of pills or an intrauterine device to those suffering from the disease, whose purpose is to prevent the onset of menstruation, and as a result also to prevent the symptoms related to it and to slow down the rate of progression of the disease," he adds.
The key to diagnosis and treatment
Awareness of the disease among the medical community is quite low.
More than once, women go for years between specialist doctors and irrelevant tests, when their complaints are often belittled and they are recommended to use painkillers, and in other cases they are referred to treatments that are not correct.
"There is no doubt that endometriosis is one of the most complex diseases in the field of gynecology, both in terms of diagnosis and in terms of its treatment. The caregivers' duty is first of all to listen to the patient's complaints and to refer her for further medical investigation among experts who deal with the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Beyond that, there is room for allocating resources in the public health system that will allow Training doctors to diagnose and treat the disease, and even establish dedicated clinics that will offer an ecosystem that will enable treatment and support for female patients under one roof," concludes Dr. Sirota.
On March 1, the opening event of the International Endometriosis Awareness Month will be held at Raphael Hospital, led by Dr. Ido Sirota, a senior expert in gynecological surgery, hysteroscopies, robotic surgeries and the cervix at the hospital
Dr. Ido Sirota // Photo: Adi Adi
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us