✓ The endometriosis campaign starts

The first campaign in Del Paese on endometriosis, a widespread but little known disease of the uterus tissue, which can have consequences on fertility, starts.

In Del Paese, more than 50% of women in the 29-39 age group and 0,4% of adolescents are affected by endometriosis.

“The disabling side of the disease is worrying, which makes everyday life difficult for many women and which in some cases risks leading to infertility - said the undersecretary for welfare, Eugenia Roccella, presenting the campaign today in the city. The objective of the campaign, organized by the ministry and Sant'Andrea hospital of the city, is to bring to light a disease experienced in silence by 150 million women in the world, 14 million of which in Europe and three million in the country.

A two-minute video broadcast in cinemas until March 16, the toll-free number 800219992, the website www.quellochenonsodime.com and that of the ministry (www.ministerosalute.com) are the tools of the campaign, alongside brochures and information material disseminated throughout the country with the collaboration of the Del Paesena Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Fiog).

What is endometriosis? It is a disease that can affect women of childbearing age starting from adolescence. We speak of endometriosis when a tissue similar to the endometrium (tissue that lines the inner surface of the uterus) is formed and grows in an "abnormal" area that is different from the normal location of the uterus (such as the ovaries, the peritoneum, the uterosacral ligaments and the rectovaginal septum).

These formations can cause pain, inflammation and other discomfort. It is a widely underestimated disease as only a low percentage of women who suffer from it know they have it.

What are the symptoms? Infertility, painful sexual intercourse, painful menstruation, pelvic pain, physical fatigue, irritable bowel, bloating, constipation, nausea, headache. Symptoms can become chronic and accompany the woman, especially during menstruation, throughout the reproductive period. The severity of symptoms and the likelihood of diagnosis increase with age.

Studies have shown that endometriosis is a disease that has a great interference with the quality of life, resulting in: sleep disturbances (81%); negative influences on work (79%); painful if not impossible sexual intercourse, with consequences in the couple relationship (77%); negative influence on their social life (73%). Some women report experiencing at least one of these conditions: depression, frustration, anger (39%); anxiety, nervousness, fatigue, feeling of not being helped (19%).

Why is a quick diagnosis important? Prompt diagnosis and prompt treatment can improve quality of life and prevent infertility which can occur in 30-40% of endometriosis cases.

It was found that the certain diagnosis arrives belatedly, with an average time of more than nine years. The reasons for this delay are due to various causes, the main ones being: women think that the pains they suffer are normal; hormone treatments provide temporary relief. Late diagnoses often go hand in hand with underestimating the symptoms reported by women.

How is endometriosis treated? Based on the uncertainty about the causes of the pain and the differences in the response to therapy, a standard treatment is not definable. The therapy (symptomatic pharmacological treatments, medical hormonal therapy and laparoscopic-conservative / radical surgical treatment) aims to relieve symptoms, promote fertility and eliminate endometriosis.

However, a relapse of symptoms and / or lesions is possible both after medical and surgical therapy.

(Source: ministry of health)

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