Endometriosis is a condition where the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, most commonly on the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It can block off the tubes and cause scarring that can ultimately lead to infertility.
According to the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF), endometriosis has a higher social and economic impact than migraine and Crohn’s disease, which is why they have raised enough money to conduct the study looking at hidden costs of endometriosis on society.
Endometriosis Affects One in Ten Women of Childbearing Age
The symptoms of endometriosis, which include pelvic pain, painful sex, heavy periods or irregular periods, tiredness and pain when emptying your bowels, can be symptoms of other conditions so many sufferers are not correctly diagnosed. It takes the average sufferer 12 years to be diagnosed correctly and they have often been given treatments for other illnesses that they did not need. All of these needless treatments, coupled with the interventions required to treat endometriosis, costs the US $22 billion a year, and that is just one country. This is higher than what it costs the medical profession to treat migraines and Crohn’s disease.
Endometriosis is the Biggest Cause of Infertility in Women
Endometriosis is also the biggest cause of pelvic pain in women. There is as yet no cure for it and all the treatments for it have side-effects. Despite this, governments don’t give much funding to research effective treatments for it.
Twenty-eight-year old Lisa Gellbert has suffered from endometriosis for nine years.
“I have seen numerous doctors, and finally had surgery – where none of the disease was removed. Despite having supposedly had ‘treatment' I still live in pain and take several days off every month because I am incapacitated.”
The WERF Chief Executive, Lone Hummelshoj, said that not only was this having a huge economical impact due to treatment costs, lost working hours through ill health and doctors' appointments, it also has a financial impact on the women themselves, as well as psychological and emotional impacts.
“The effect of endometriosis on relationships, not least when fertility becomes an issue, must not be under-estimated. The EndoCost study is the first to investigate this direct and indirect cost, at a societal and personal level. We hope the results will spur national governments to take endometriosis seriously.”
For more information on endometriosis, see:
Endometriosis is a cause of secondary infertility
Source:
World Endometriosis Research Foundation, 31st August 2009.
Joanna Karpasea-Jones - I have been a health writer since 1997 when I published my own newsletter, SHOTS. I have written 2 books on childhood health, and write ...
