Four-part star PLUS series
Diagnosis, nutrition, the pill: Charité doctor answers readers’ questions regarding endometriosis
Severe menstrual pain is a very common symptom of endometriosis. The suffering of those affected is often great. It is not uncommon for many years to pass before the diagnosis is made.
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In a four part series stern PLUS, the Charité doctor Sylvia Mechsner answers questions from readers regarding endometriosis, an abdominal disease that affects millions of women in Germany. It starts on Wednesday with part 1 – and answers to the most important questions regarding the diagnosis.
Severe menstrual pain, up to fainting: Endometriosis is an abdominal disease in which tissue similar to that of the uterine lining grows outside the uterus in the abdominal cavity. Although endometriosis is the second most common gynecological condition and is estimated to affect around one in ten women, it takes an average of between six and ten years in Germany before the correct diagnosis is made. Years in which the patients are often not taken seriously and their pain is dismissed as conventional menstrual symptoms. But not only women are affected. Trans, inter and nonbinary people with uterus can also develop endometriosis.
stern PLUS series on endometriosis: Doctor answers readers’ questions
In a four part series stern PLUS answers the Charité doctor and endometriosis expert Prof. Dr. medical Sylvia Mechsner questions from stern-Women readers to the suffering. Mechsner is a professor for endometriosis research at the Berlin Charité and heads the endometriosis center there.
In the first part of the series, which will be published on Wednesday, she explains whether a laparoscopy is mandatory for the diagnosis and what the risks of an early intervention are. Also: might endometriosis be detected with a saliva test soon? The expert explains the background of the possible test procedure.
The consequences at a glance:
Episode 1: Endometriosis and the possibilities of diagnosis (to be released on Wednesday, September 21, on stern PLUS)
- Is a reliable diagnosis only possible via a laparoscopy?
- I’ve read that endometriosis may soon be diagnosed with a saliva test. Is that true?
Episode 2: Endometriosis and Nutrition (out September 28)
- I have endometriosis. Can I positively influence my symptoms through my diet? Which foods are recommended, what should I avoid?
- Are there any dietary supplements, vitamins or minerals that are useful for endometriosis?
Episode 3: Endometriosis and the Pill (to be released on October 5th)
- Is it possible to permanently do without hormones despite my endometriosis?
- Will my symptoms automatically get worse if I stop taking the pill?
Episode 4: Endometriosis and fertility (to be released on October 12)
- I have endometriosis and want to get pregnant naturally. What can I do to increase the chance of pregnancy?
- I read that endometriosis symptoms can improve during pregnancy. Do the symptoms come back following the birth?
Further stern-Articles regarding endometriosis, backgrounds and interviews are on this topic page bundled.
