Singer Anitta shared that she had suffered from the disease for nine years. Young women interviewed by the BBC talk about the impact of this condition on their relationships and fertility.
“Sex hurts so much that I rarely do it. The pain I feel afterward is just terrible.”
Hollie, 24, is one of 1.5 million women in the UK who suffer from endometriosis.
This is the name given to the condition where the tissue lining the uterus grows outside the organ, in areas such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, which means that fertility can be impaired.
For Hollie, as with many women, the condition also causes episodes of intense pain.
The singer Anitta reported it on her social networks. The artist said she has been suffering for nine years and said she will undergo surgery after she is diagnosed with the disease. She did not specify the date, but said the procedure is already scheduled and she had to “cancel a lot” in her schedule, as, after the surgery, she “can’t put in much effort for a month”.
Endometriosis causes severe menstrual cramps, pain during intercourse, intestinal and urinary pain and bleeding during menstruation and even infertility.
“Nine years of this soap opera and I have tried everything that all kinds of doctors have ever said. All the tips, advice, techniques that doctors have given or from Google I have also tried. And nothing (and 9 years there is). it was time for me to try a solution, huh?) but I was never asked for an MRI. No articles, articles, websites, etc. consider recurrent cystitis as a possible symptom of endometriosis, “Anitta said on Twitter .
For British woman Hollie, endometriosis affected every aspect of her life, from education to her career prospects to her mental health.
“It is not only the fact that it makes conception, the possibility of having children, of starting a family difficult, but the disease also affects the sexual life,” he says.
In 2019, Hollie participated in a BBC survey of the condition, alongside 13,500 other women, as part of the UK’s largest survey on the issue.
harm and distress
The young woman was diagnosed with the problem in March 2018 after spending five years with the symptoms.
“When you have it [a capacidade de fazer sexo] taken away, mental health suffers. ”
Hollie has a daughter with her partner. She says she received a lot of support from him given the pain she feels, but the impacts of the disease are still a concern.
“It makes me feel like I’m failing, like I’m not a good girl,” she says, noting that the anxiety she suffers from the disease is “debilitating.”
Another problem that some women who have endometriosis face is the difficulty in getting pregnant.
The reasons behind this are not fully understood, but the most accepted hypothesis is that it results from damage to the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Surgery to remove endometriosis outbreaks can help, but there is no guarantee. However, the procedure can lead to complications, including bruising near the uterus or, in less common but more severe cases, organ damage.
Hollie says she wants another child, but believes she has little chance.
“We both know deep down that this is not going to happen. But we don’t talk about it because it makes me sad.”
Like Hollie, Sophie (name changed to protect her identity) suffered from bouts of extreme pain, to the point that she was unable to have sex with her partner.
“Endometriosis ruined my relationship. When we were in bed, I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t know what that pain was and I didn’t feel taken seriously,” she says.
“But it was a terrible pain, and he just didn’t understand it. Eventually, he ended up sleeping with other people. Now, I’m not actively looking for a relationship, because I care about sex and how hard it is to do it. I”.
For Sophie, sex can trigger a flare-up of symptoms that she describes as “unbearable for me and those around me: when I feel pain, I get irritated.”
treatments and surgery
According to the British public health system (NHS), there is still no cure for endometriosis, but several treatments can relieve symptoms.
These include pain relievers and hormonal medications, as well as more extreme interventions, such as surgeries to remove endometrial tissue or even to remove the uterus, in the procedure known as a hysterectomy.
Some women opt for a hysterectomy as a solution to the extreme pain caused by endometriosis, which means they can no longer have children.
Sophie suffered from pain for more than a decade before getting a diagnosis: she is now 26.
Lately, the pain has gotten so bad that Sophie suspects a hysterectomy is her only way out, even if it puts an end to the possibility of having children.
“I talked to my doctor a few weeks ago and he said, ‘I’ll be honest, you probably only have an extra year to get pregnant.’ Endometriosis can ruin my chances of having a baby,” she says.
– Text originally published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-49959817
Source: Terra
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
