Up to one in four Australian women live with chronic pelvic pain due to endometriosis or irritable bowel syndrome.
This shouldn’t be the case. Part of the problem is the difficulty in receiving an accurate diagnosis. A study published in the journal Oxford Academic reported that the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis of endometriosis is seven years!
Thankfully this has started to change with the launch of a much-needed free information booklet produced by the Australian Gut Foundation. It is titled: Understanding Endometriosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Pelvic Pain and can be downloaded from the website: gutfoundation.com.au
After reading the booklet, if you think you might have endometriosis, see your doctor to discuss the next steps.
You can also click here to listen to my conversation with Cathy Border on ABC radio Brisbane and Gold Coast. During our discussion I answer the following questions:
- What are treatable causes of debilitating period pain?
- What exactly is endometriosis?
- What are the symptoms?
- Why is it so hard to diagnose?
- Can endometriosis cause infertility?
- How can we effectively treat endometriosis?
Please forward this Health-e-Byte to anyone who has chronic pelvic or abdominal pain.
