As an endometriosis patient, you keep hearing that 1 in 10 women are diagnosed and suffer with endometriosis. Again, 1 in 10. Researchers believe that there are even more women than the 1 in 10 already diagnosed who may be suffering from endometriosis. It is assumed women may be misdiagnosed, unaware of the symptoms or able to seek out the proper care to be observed by a medical professional. It approximately takes about eight years for a woman to be diagnosed by a medical professional. There must be a way to educate a younger generation of women so further research can be pursued for improved care and treatments. 

So what is so important about educating young students at such a young age? There is plenty of research that supports education on endometriosis and should be taught during a sex education course. This will provide a better understanding of symptoms and decrease the negative impact surrounding endometriosis. It also provided opportunities for further research to help women discover new coping techniques with this chronic condition.

Typically, endometriosis causes intense and negative effects on daily life no matter what age for women. According to the research article from Moradi, it states a “better understanding of the long term and wide ranging impact of endometriosis on women’s lives at different life stages could benefit policy makers, health professionals and the lay population in reducing the negative impact of endometriosis and improving women’s life experiences.”  When women are speaking to their doctor, they must be taken seriously when discussing their symptoms to a medical professional. With women educated about the disease so they can recognize the symptoms, and have a constructive conversation with their doctor so they are not dismissed as normal cycles.

So what can we do to incorporate more endometriosis education for younger women? We have to continue talking to our local policy makers, women’s health organizations and endometriosis patient advocates. We have to prove the importance of extended education in the classroom and how many lives this will positively impact with more awareness with endometriosis. This is one of the projects Worldwide Endomarch works on consistently, actively advocating for more awareness for all women.

Moradi, M., Parker, M., Sneddon, A., Lopez, V., & Ellwood, D. (2014). Impact of endometriosis on women’s lives: a qualitative study. BMC women’s health, 14, 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6874-14-123