2024-09-30 22:00:00
Publi-info
Painful periods, painful sexual intercourse, digestive problems… Endometriosis affects one in ten women in Belgium1. Still too invisible, it nevertheless has a significant impact on the quality of life of those who suffer from it. Dr. Stavros Karampelas, Head of the Gynecological Surgery Clinic at Brugmann University Hospital and coordinator of the hospital’s endometriosis clinic, sheds light on this condition and its most common symptoms.
Endometriosis refers to the development outside the uterine cavity of tissue similar to that of the uterine lining, called the endometrium. “Endometriosis is very difficult to diagnose,” explains Dr. Karampelas. In Belgium, it takes on average seven years2,” he adds, based on a study by UZ Leuven. But how can we explain that the diagnosis of endometriosis can take so long?
A complex symptomatology
Dr. Stavros Karampelas, Head of Gynecological Surgery Clinic at Brugmann University Hospital
Endometriosis is difficult to detect, not only because its symptoms are numerous and different in each patient, which can suggest other pathologies. “There are usually three main symptoms,” explains Dr. Karampelas. “First of all, dysmenorrhea, which refers to pain linked to the menstrual cycle, which can also appear, before or after periods, chronically.
The second symptom is that of dyspareunia, namely deep pain during sexual intercourse, caused by endometrial damage. Finally, the third symptom takes the form of various digestive problems, such as abdominal bloating, alternations between diarrhea and constipation during periods and pain during defecation. »
If these three symptoms are considered the main ones, others also exist, such as chronic non-menstrual pain, pain at the time of ovulation, pain in the shoulder or ribs during menstruation, fatigue chronic or rarer symptoms such as nosebleeds during periods or even respiratory problems… These symptoms have a major impact on the quality of life of people with endometriosis with a significant impact on their personal and marital life, but also professional and social.
Improve quality of life
Living with these symptoms on a daily basis is like torture for many women. This is why the sooner the patient is diagnosed, the better it will then be possible to support her. As soon as the treating doctor or gynecologist has any doubts, the patient must be referred to a center specializing in endometriosis in order to offer her treatment adapted to her pain.
Several solutions exist to relieve the person suffering from endometriosis. The choice of treatment must always result from a dialogue between patient and doctor, in particular depending on whether or not the patient wants to become pregnant. This is why, whatever it is, the treatment must be individualized and adapted to each patient because each endometriosis is unique.
“As endometriosis is a hormone-dependent disease, very often we start with hormone therapy, the primary goal of which is to alleviate the patient’s cyclical pain with the help of a pill and analgesics”
The idea is then to find a fair balance between bearable pain and medication so that the patient can enjoy an improvement in her quality of life. “There are also second-line medications,” he adds. This option will be especially interesting for patients who do not want to become pregnant. “These are molecules that allow the ovaries to pause. This is a treatment which numbs endometriosis lesions and which reduces or stops the patient’s pain and improves her quality of life. »
Finally, surgery, which eliminates endometriosis lesions, also exists, even if it is chosen as a last resort and reserved for patients who do not respond to medical treatment.
And if there is surgery, in the event of a recurrence, the operation will not necessarily be preferred again. “If the patient has an operation and after three or five years, for example, she has a recurrence, we will instead redirect her to a second-line medication,” specifies Dr. Karampelas.
Don’t waste another second
If you have symptoms similar to those mentioned above, and/or you suffer from pain that seems abnormal to you, know that it may be endometriosis. This is why it is important to consult your general practitioner or your gynecologist, so as to immediately receive the support that will best adapt to your needs as well as the stage of life in which you find yourself.
With the support of Gedeon Richter
2024-045 BEFR, date de revision 10/2024.
1. Zondervan KT et al. N Engl J Med. 2020: 382(13):1244-1256
2. Ellis K et al. Front Glob Womens Health. 2022;3:902371.
Last updated: October 2024
Want to receive our articles in your email box?
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Related articles
Related Topics
1728229330
#pain #normal #Endometriosis #disease #affects #ten #women
