Endometriosis
March was endometriosis awareness month.
Endometriosis affects 1 in 7 women and girls or who are gender diverse
It takes 6.5 years to be diagnosed, and the only confirmation can be done through surgery.
What is Endometriosis?
It is a condition where tissue like the lining of uterus, is found in abnormal sites around the body. The degree of symptoms does not always indicate the damage the disease is causing.
Endometriosis symptoms include painful periods, bloating, cramping, urinary urgency, irritable bowel, fatigue, infertility, overactive pelvic floor muscles, intimacy issues, and chronic pain.
This condition has a high cost for quality of life and up to $30000 a year in lost in productivity, lost days at work or at school, or social isolation.
Treatment:
No cure has been found so far, but the best evidence includes:
1. Medical management, pain medication, hormonal medication, contraceptive pill
2. Surgical management: with a highly skilled surgeon, they can identify the smallest of lesions via laparoscopy
3. Physiotherapy, Psychotherapy, alternative medicine.
Physiotherapy to the pelvic floor
As women’s health physiotherapists, we come across a range of presentation related to endometriosis, with the most common being overactive pelvic floor muscles.
Through a careful examination and a collaborative approach, we aim at identifying the physical causes of pelvic muscle symptoms and give strategies to self-manage them. We give stretches and exercises to help decrease the muscle tone of the pelvis and hips. We work with other professionals who can help in pain management and emotional triggers, to maximise the effect.
We provide tools that help manage the symptoms related to endo and guide through an active lifestyle, with strategies to decrease their symptoms.
Research
There are many grants for research to find a cure for endometriosis. We are hopeful that there will be a way to cure it in a close future.
Reach out to our women’s health physios to learn more on how we can help your symptoms.
