Debunking the Myths About Endometriosis & Exploring the Facts
One in ten women worldwide is affected by endometriosis, also known as “endo,” for short. While this number is an estimate, the actual figures may be higher. Not only is the person with this inflammatory disorder affected, so are the family members and people around her due to the often debilitating effects of this disease. Endometriosis facts are important because it is complex and often misunderstood even though it’s a common disorder. Because of this, there are many myths and misconceptions regarding endometriosis prognosis, treatment, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, complications, etc.
Focusing on the disease itself often ignores the vicious cycles of stress, fatigue, pain, doctor visits, flare-ups, and loss of productivity experienced by the patient. These factors can lead to a decreased quality of life. Worse is that endometriosis facts come behind outdated treatment options, myths, and misconceptions about this disorder. It takes an average of eight to ten years for a patient to be diagnosed with endometriosis. One of the biggest problems with the misconceptions about endo is that they can prevent women from seeking treatment. Keep reading as we review endometriosis facts and debunk the myths.
Overview of Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a pelvic disorder characterized by endometriosis tissue similar but not the same as the tissue inside the uterus, growing elsewhere. Typically, the growth occurs outside the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, the surface of the bladder, bowel, and distant organs.
Endometriosis growths can cause pain, scarring, and sometimes infertility. Pain from endometriosis is usually the result of menstrual bleeding from the tissues. Unlike the endometrium inside your uterus, blood that comes from endo tissue outside this organ has no means of escaping the body. This blood causes increased pressure and inflammation, which can result in pain that’s often debilitating. If you would like to learn more information about endometriosis, please read our introduction article, “Endometriosis 101: Covering the Basics.”
Why is it Difficult to Diagnose Endometriosis?
Studies show that it can take an average of seven years or more for a woman to get an endometriosis diagnosis. Why is this? Endometriosis signs and symptoms are often similar to other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Therefore, it’s often mistaken for another illness. Furthermore, the myths and misconceptions we discuss below also prevent a lot of women from seeking help. For this reason, it’s crucial to get the endometriosis facts clear. Keep reading as we debunk the myths and state the facts.
Myth #1: Severe Period Pain is Normal
Nineteenth-century doctors were often perplexed by “women’s problems.” As a result, women were often discounted as being unstable mentally. While the attitudes and thoughts have improved since, some of those old beliefs persist, including those regarding period pain.
Many patients with endometriosis hear that their severe period pain is “normal.” Pain and cramping are normal during menstruation. However, the pain should not be so intense that it interferes with functioning or impacts the quality of life. If your period pain is so severe that you cannot carry out daily activities, you should seek an endometriosis expert.
Myth #2: A Hysterectomy Cures Endometriosis
Endometriosis growths are tissues “similar” to those inside of the uterus. It is not the same tissue. Simply removing the uterus and/or ovaries without excising any endometriotic implants growing outside the uterus will not cure it.
Myth #3: Endometriosis Only Affects the Pelvic Area
Locations within the pelvis, such as the surface of the uterus, bladder, or fallopian tubes, are the most common locations where endometriosis growths occur. However, endo can occur elsewhere in the body. In some cases, endometriosis growths have been present in distant organs, such as the lungs.
Myth #4: Endometriosis Symptoms are Simply a “Heavy Period”
Bleeding during menstruation can be heavy at times. However, it should not exceed the saturation of a pad or tampon in one hour. If you experience that degree of bleeding, you should bring this up with your healthcare provider. The fact is that many women with endometriosis experience abnormally heavy flow due to the excess tissue.
Myth #5: Douching Causes Endometriosis
No scientific evidence links douching with the development of endometriosis.
Myth #6: Having an Abortion Can Cause Endometriosis
No scientific evidence demonstrates that having an abortion causes endometriosis. Those who claim otherwise might be confusing endometritis and endometriosis.
Myth #7: You’re Too Young to Have Endometriosis
A common misconception is that endometriosis is rare or doesn’t occur in young women and teenagers. As a result, many doctors do not consider an endometriosis diagnosis in young women with typical symptoms. Endometriosis facts demonstrate that teenagers and women in their early 20s can have the disorder. Most people with endometriosis state they experienced endo symptoms during adolescence.
Myth #8: Endometriosis Can Be Prevented
It’s not clearly understood what causes endometriosis. Therefore, there are no proven ways to prevent this inflammatory condition. Anything else is purely speculation at this point.
Myth #9: Endometriosis is Always Painful
Not all women with endometriosis experience pain. Studies show that some women with advanced stages of endometriosis do not experience pain as a symptom.
Myth #10: Pregnancy is a Cure for Endometriosis
This misconception about endometriosis is slowly beginning to fade. However, not quickly enough! Pregnancy fluctuates hormones in the female body, which can temporarily suppress some symptoms of endometriosis. However, these symptoms usually recur for most patients following the pregnancy. Therefore, it’s not a cure.
Myth #11: Menopause Cures Endometriosis
Endometriosis symptoms often occur during menstruation, but many women experience them long after periods stop. Following menopause, the body still produces small amounts of hormones, and the endometriosis tissue still responds to them, thus causing pain. For many women, the symptoms of endometriosis may improve after menopause, but that does not mean it’s a cure. Depending on the case, it might be necessary to remove endometriosis implants or adhesions even after menopause.
Myth #12: Hormonal Therapy Cures Endometriosis
Doctors have been treating endometriosis for years using hormonal therapy drugs. However, these medications do not have long-term effects on the disease itself. Hormones can help relieve the symptoms temporarily and even shrink the growths, but they do not cure endometriosis.
Myth #13: Endometriosis is Cancer
Endometriosis growths are not cancerous. To date, there is little evidence that shows endometriosis directly causes cancer. However, some types of cancers are more common in women who have endometriosis. Endometrial cancer is also known as uterine cancer. Many studies have examined the relationship between the two, and one showed that merely 0.7 percent of patients with endometriosis had endometrial cancer at the 10-year follow-up. Therefore, endometriosis does not equal cancer, but it may increase the risk of cancer.
Myth #14: Tubal Endometriosis Always Causes Infertility
Tubal endometriosis is not very common, and it does not always cause infertility. Does endometriosis cause infertility? It can be in many cases, but the mechanisms of infertility in endometriosis remain multifactorial. Can you get pregnant with endometriosis? It is possible, and many women do – especially with proper treatment early on.
Myth #15: Endometriosis Symptoms Are the Results of Emotional Distress (It Is All in Your Head)
Yes. People have heard many times that emotional distress could be the cause of their endometriosis and pain. This statement is false. The fact is, endometriosis is a highly complex disorder with many underpinnings. Those with endometriosis often experience emotional distress as an impact of the symptoms such as pain and infertility. But emotional distress it’s not the cause of endometriosis symptoms.
Endometriosis quick facts:
1- There is no blood test available for the diagnosis of endometriosis.
Mehedintu C, J Med Life, 2014
2- The diagnosis of endometriosis starts by taking a good history from patients, and performing a detailed physical exam including pelvic exam. In some cases, a doctor might ask for MRI and Ultrasound to have a more thorough picture. But the ultimate diagnosis is only possible with laparoscopic /robotic surgery and taking a biopsy for histopathology. There is no blood test that can tell if you have endometriosis.
3- Studies show that those with endometriosis have an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders.
Chen LC, et al, J Affect Disord, 2016
4- Pelvic pain due to endo occurs a day part of an inflammatory cycle which can affect the pelvic organs and functions such as sitting, sex, bowel movements and even urination. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help with restoring balance to the pelvic floor muscles.
Dr. Juan Michelle Martin, Endometriosis Physical Therapist.
5- “The most common clinical signs of endometriosis are menstrual irregularities, chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea (painful periods), dyspareunia (painful sex), and infertility.”
Lagana AS, et al, Int J Womens Health. 2017
We Want Your Input
Are there any endometriosis myths or misconceptions we did not list here? Let us know in the comments below!
