Probably not the "F" word you're thinking about.
Fertility, Endometriosis
This is probably going to be the most vulnerable and personal I've ever been in a public space. But another reason I wanted to start this blog was for this reason. I am hoping that I can reach other women who are going through the same thing I am, and learn more about myself and how to cope (and heal) in the process.
In September of 2022, I was having such intense abdominal pain that I went to the ER. After a bunch of tests, they found a large cyst on my left ovary, and a few smaller ones on the right. I've had cysts before, and they've always gone away on their own. But this one felt different. I kept having pain and at the end of October, my doctor told me the cyst wasn't going away and also getting larger, and I was going to need surgery. I am very lucky in that I have never had surgery, besides my wisdom teeth, so hearing the word surgery made me freak out a lot! Thankfully, that same weekend I had a trip planned to see my best friend in San Diego and was able to keep my mind off of things, temporarily.
On December 5, 2022, I had surgery to remove the 10cm cyst. The surgery went well, but my doctor said that along with the cyst, she found endometriosis.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing pain and/or infertility (1).
Endometriosis affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive age women and girls globally (2).
It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility.
The variable and broad symptoms of endometriosis mean that healthcare workers do not easily diagnose it and many individuals suffering from it have limited awareness of the condition. This can cause a lengthy delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis (3).
At present, there is no known cure for endometriosis, and treatment is usually aimed at controlling symptoms (4).
Access to early diagnosis and effective treatment of endometriosis is important, but is limited in many settings, including in low- and middle-income countries.
There is a need for more research and awareness raising around the world to ensure effective prevention, early diagnosis, and improved management of the disease (2,5).
Being told I have endometriosis came as a shock because I have little pain and none of the other symptoms. But I have not been able to get pregnant yet, so it all began to make sense. Dealing with infertility is not something I ever thought would happen to me. You always think as soon as you start "trying" your body will know what to do and you instantly get pregnant. It's basically what school scares us into thinking during sex ed.
I am going to be following up this post with others regarding treatments I'm going through or plan to go through, and steps I'm taking to try to heal myself. I hate being told that surgery is the only answer. I've been doing a lot of research on how to cope and how to reduce symptoms and I will share all I can with all of you.
Thank you for your support!
Again, this is not like me to put everything out in the public like this. But I haven't been able to find much about this topic myself, so I'm hoping this can help anyone else going through the same thing!
We're all in this together :)
I would love to connect with anyone suffering with endometriosis, and I'd love to hear any requests for additional topics you'd like me to cover.
Thank you for reading and helping me with my healing journey.
- Lex
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