by Maria Giovanna Faiella
In Italy there are 3 million women with a clear diagnosis, but many do not know they suffer from it. It can take up to 8 years before the disease is discovered. It is found in 30-40% of women who cannot conceive
In Italy there are at least three million women with a clear diagnosis of endometriosis but many suffer from it and don’t know it: this chronic disease, in fact, still suffers from a diagnostic delay which on average ranges from 5 to 8 years. And it is one of the main known causes of infertility: it is found, in fact, in approximately 30-50 percent of women who are unable to conceive. The good news is that, thanks to the timely recognition of symptoms and early diagnosis which allow the appropriate treatments to be started, the physical and psychological suffering caused by the disease can be avoided, but also infertility can be prevented. This is why it is essential to know it to fight it.
Raising awareness of this pathology which affects 10-15% of women of reproductive age, with a peak between the ages of 25 and 35, is the objective of World Endometriosis Day, which takes place on 28 March. Various initiatives have been organized in our country, including free gynecological visits in hospitals.
Starting at sunset, monuments, squares and institutional buildings – including the Ministry of Health, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies – light up yellow, the symbolic color of endometriosis.
What is endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which can appear as early as the first menstruation (menarche) and accompany a woman until menopause.
The endometrium – the mucosa that physiologically lines the uterine cavity and flakes off every month and is renewed with menstruation – is found outside the uterus, in abnormal locations such as the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, bladder, intestine. The endometrial tissue, even when it is located in locations other than the uterus, retains the same characteristics, therefore every month under the stimulus of the hormones produced by the ovaries it thickens and then flakes off causing blood loss: a “false” menstruation that causes pain , sometimes very intense.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of endometriosis are:
– pelvic pain, especially during the menstrual cycle;
– recurrent cystitis in conjunction with ovulation;
– menstrual irregularities (heavy periods and premenstrual blood loss); – intestinal disorders;
– sense of heaviness in the lower abdomen;
– pain during sexual intercourse;
– infertility.
As it turns out
Women whose mother or sister suffers from endometriosis are seven times more likely to develop it.
From an early age it is necessary to know that menstrual pain and pain during intercourse are not normal and should not be kept secret. It is a good idea to talk about it with your doctor, who will evaluate whether to prescribe a gynecological examination which, together with a pelvic ultrasound, are useful for a timely diagnosis and adequate treatment. In case of more complex clinical conditions, the woman can be referred by the doctor to a reference center for endometriosis.
How to treat it
Depending on the symptoms, the stage of the disease and the clinical history of each individual woman, different types of treatment may be indicated, as the experts from the National Agency for Regional Health Services (Agenas) explain on portal dedicated to pathology. The gynecologist will identify the right therapy.
Among the available treatments are:
– medical therapy (based on hormonal treatments, low-dose progestins or estrogen-progestins and supplements to alleviate pelvic pain);
– surgical therapy;
– the so-called “waiting behavior” (no medical or surgical therapy) with periodic checks.
Can you have children?
Endometriosis is associated with infertility in 30-50% of cases.
In the early stages, the causes of infertility appear to be linked to the chronic inflammatory state typical of the disease and to the reduced quantity and quality of oocytes, particularly in cases of ovarian endometriosis.
In advanced stages, in addition to these causes, adhesions caused by endometriosis can also compromise fertility, particularly when they involve the tubes, blocking them.
Early diagnosis of the disease and initiation of timely treatments can prevent infertility.
What protections
If you suffer from endometriosis at the “moderate or grade III” stage or at the “severe or grade IV” stage, you are entitled to a series of free services, without paying the copay (here is the list, in the Ministry of Health database): since 2017, endometriosis, at advanced clinical stages, has been included in the essential levels of assistance (Lea), in the list of chronic and disabling diseases.
The request for exemption must be made to your local health authority of residence by presenting the certificate, issued by a public hospital or outpatient facility, which certifies the presence of the third or fourth stage pathology.
March 28, 2024
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED