March is Endometriosis Awareness Month! Here's Why It's Important

When it came to this particular story, I had a hard time deciding how soon I would share this with the blog. It has taken me at least a decade to finally get the answers I've need for my entire pubescent life, and no offense, as much as I love the readership of this blog... we just met! I haven't even had a chance to buy you dinner. Nonetheless, here I am ready to share.

By Xavier Sotomayor 

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and when I was starting my blog, I definitely felt like I needed to cover this. As a Canadian woman affected by this reproductive disease, I was extremely proud and excited that the Canadian government has recently allocated $650 million dollars towards sexual and reproductive rights. This is a huge step towards an area of the healthcare system worldwide that is underfunded, undereducated, and often misunderstood.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a fairly common reproductive disease that affects roughly 10% of women worldwide. However, as common as the disease is, as with many reproductive diseases there are "taboos, years of delayed diagnosis, lack of awareness and hit-and-miss treatments". Endometriosis is a disease to where endometrial cells begin to grow outside of the uterus and while most commonly it grows in the pelvic cavity, there are cases where endometriosis can grow in other areas of the body. Each menstrual cycle those endometrial cells go through the process of thickening, breaking down, and bleeding, however, there is nowhere for it to leave the body because it is outside of the uterus. This cycle causes chronic and debilitating pain during menstruation and can also lead to infertility.

By Volkan Olmez

Why is it important?

The average woman with endometriosis, from the first appearance of symptoms to diagnosis, has 7-10 years to wait. Let that sink in. Suffering from chronic and severe pain monthly for 7 to 10 years... that should be of grave concern to men and women across the globe. This may be a tad dramatic, but in any other circumstance that would a human rights issue. Cases of endometriosis are continuing to grow in numbers with celebrities "coming out" about their struggles like Lena Dunham, Daisy Ridley, and Padma Lakshmi. These women help to bring necessary awareness to not only endometriosis but also other reproductive diseases. In a world where some governments are cutting funding in these areas, it is more vital than ever to educate the population on these private struggles and spread awareness. 

Have you heard of endometriosis? What do you know about it? I would love to hear about it.

Content for this post was sourced from:

Endometriosis UK https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-symptoms

Endometriosis Info Canada http://endometriosisinfo.ca/