Fact or Myth? Endometriosis is a very rare disease.

Myth!

“Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases, affecting more than 5.5 million women in North America alone.” – The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

“It is estimated that between 2 percent and 10 percent of American women – or 5.5 million women and girls – of childbearing age have endometriosis. This makes endometriosis more common than AIDS and more common than cancer. Endometriosis is one of the three major causes of female infertility.” – Ohio State University Medical Center.

“Endometriosis is a painful, chronic disease that affects 5 1/2 million women and girls in the USA and Canada, and millions more worldwide.” – The Endometriosis Association.

“Endometriosis affects a staggering 70+ million women and girls worldwide, and there is no definitive cure.” – The Endometriosis Research Center (ERC).

This begs the question, if endometriosis is so prevalent, then why is it still so hidden and misunderstood?

Dr. Joseph W. Krotec and RN Sharon Perkins write in Endometriosis for Dummies: “Cultural norms in some countries discourage women from complaining about pain, especially pain related to the reproductive system.”
They also write, ““Even doctors used to believe that endometriosis was a psychological disease. The prevailing attitude was that, if you just stopped thinking about yourself all the time, all the pain would disappear. Some doctors actually believed that a woman’s positive attitude would make the pain go away. Unfortunately, some professionals still use this rationale today.

“Although a positive attitude is certainly good to have throughout your life, you probably know that attitude doesn’t decrease your endometriosis one bit. Endometriosis isn’t just in your head (although it can be; endometriosis has been found in the brain! See Chapter 6 for more info) — it’s in your pelvis, and it hurts.”

This is why I’m focusing on the myths of endometriosis for Endometriosis Awareness Month in March, 2009 – because this illness is still so very misunderstood, and too taboo to talk about, because it deals with women’s reproductive systems. This has GOT to change if we are to get humane care and promise for a cure.