Ignorance about disease and medical failures can cause patients to live with severe crises for years. In some cases, this culminates in the withdrawal of the ovaries, which leads to the typical symptoms women experience when they stop menstruating.
At the age of 32, artisan Adriana Tigre began to have symptoms typical of women reaching menopause. Episodes of intense heat, irritability, sleep and mood changes …
Usually related to the period encompassing the last menstrual cycle of women, between the ages of 45 and 55, the signs appeared earlier in the life of the Paulistana, now 37, due to the removal of the ovaries – an anticipation known as “surgical menopause. “.
The procedure, which can be life-threatening for the woman, should be avoided. It is indicated in specific cases, warns gynecologist Ceres Resende, coordinator of the area of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Brasilia (UnB) (read more below).
Suffering from “incapacitating and unbearable pains” from her first menstruation, at the age of 12, Adriana underwent surgery after being diagnosed late with a serious condition that, according to the Ministry of Health, affects a Brazilian on ten: endometriosis.
The problem occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, usually around the reproductive organs, intestines, and bladder. There are no known causes or treatments.
Recently, singer Anitta shared living with the diseasewhich has led to an increase in research and posts on the subject on the Internet and on Brazilian social networks.
Normal pain?
Since she was a teenager, Adriana says she heard from family, friends and doctors that what she felt during her period was “normal pain, for every woman”.
“I was wondering if the pain was that bad, I felt like a weak woman because I couldn’t bear that pain, because the others were. But the truth is that it wasn’t normal. I just got better, in some fits, when I took morphine” , describe.
The artisan says she had to go to hospital several times with a pain in which “she begged to die” and went through dozens of doctors who “minimized” her suffering. It was only after joining a Facebook group of women that she saw a diagnostic chance to understand what she was feeling.
“I had never heard of endometriosis.”
A transvaginal ultrasound confirmed the suspicion. “When I found out, I was already in stage 4, which is the serious one. It had reached the bladder, intestines, invaded muscle layers,” she says. The average delay for the discovery of endometriosis is eight years, according to Dr. Ceres Resende.
Adriana had to undergo a laparoscopy, surgery to remove the foci of endometriosis and, in very severe cases, the ovaries.
“Doctors normalize colic”
Producer and designer Ana Fontelle, 53, from Rio de Janeiro, experienced a similar situation. She says that since she was 12, with menstrual pain and severe bleeding episodes, she felt she needed to “put up with” her female condition.
“Many doctors normalize the colic, give strong medicine and say that’s all. I’ve been led to believe it was normal.”
When she lost movement in her left leg and had a large belly swelling in 2015, a medical investigation led to the discovery of endometriosis. He initially underwent treatment for the sciatic nerve, with acupuncture and visits to the orthopedist.
“A doctor, whom I say was my savior, found that endometriosis had already spread to other organs, such as the intestines, also affecting the nerves,” he says.
In a seven-hour surgery, Ana lost ten centimeters of her large intestine and had to remove her appendix, uterus, and even her ovaries.
At the age of 47 he entered surgical menopause. Despite his age, he has had no climacteric symptoms, which is the period that precedes and follows natural menopause.
only in extreme cases
Despite cases linked to endometriosis, most patients who need to have their ovaries removed and undergo surgical menopause do so for other reasons, explains Ceres Resende, of UnB.
The main ones are cancers of the ovary and endometrium, benign tumors that occupy the entire organ, or even patients who undergo the procedure because they are identified by a professional at high risk of developing a tumor (identified with genetic tests, as in the case of actress Angelina Jolie).
In cases of endometriosis, the ideal is not to have to go to the point of bilateral oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries), says Resende.
“It is very sad to see that, even today, there is the idea of risking losing an ovary due to endometriosis. We must always try to preserve the ovarian tissue as much as possible”.
“The ideal is to have a diagnosis first, to institute a treatment, especially a menstrual block, with clinical follow-up. If you are going to have surgery, you can do it in more than one approach, it is not necessary to remove all the endometriosis. You can remove a part to try to preserve the ovaries, wait and do a second stage, “he explains.
The doctor points out, however, that, in extreme cases, this can be a path: “For example, if you have to relieve a pain that disables this woman’s life.”
sudden changes
Unlike natural menopause, where women experience symptoms gradually over the years in the climacteric, the changes are sudden with the removal of the ovaries.
Without organs, women lack the main source of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. The procedure also eliminates the menstrual cycle.
“This sudden withdrawal causes sudden symptoms. There comes a more intense wave of symptoms, because you had normal hormones and, all of a sudden, you suddenly withdraw them,” says Resende.
Common consequences include sweating, sleep disturbances, risk of mood swings, decreased libido, vaginal dryness and burning, and urinary incontinence.
Adriana Tigre says that, three months after the operation, she began to feel much older: “I feel like a 70-year-old lady in a 37-year-old body.”
“First there was a lot of headache, then I swelled a lot, I was very hot, like my body was on fire, I was nervous about everything, pain in my legs and very unwell, tired, with a weak arm”, she says.
Removal of the ovaries can lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack, according to published studies.
“The ideal, as far as possible, if the patient has no contraindications, is that she receives hormone replacement therapy as soon as the ovaries are removed,” explains Resende.
Surgical menopause can also lead to depression.
Mother of a boy, Adriana planned to have two more children before the operation. But she says her experience was traumatic, because the doctors didn’t inform her clearly about the stages and consequences of the surgery, which led to a depressive state: “It’s hard to have to abandon plans, see people my age to go out, having fun. .. But I have no energy. ”
With no strong physical symptoms of surgical menopause, Ana Fontelle also claims to have had mental health issues following the procedure, more related to her “self-esteem as a woman.”
After the ovaries are removed, Ana reports “relief” from the pain. Adriana, on the other hand, has gone through periods with fewer crises, but she continues to suffer.
In most women, the symptoms of endometriosis disappear after menopause (surgical or not). But, like Adriana, some continue to have pain.
This usually happens because, although the lesions are less active with a lack of hormones, they will still be present. That is, although menopause can help with symptoms, it is not a cure.
Warning signs of endometriosis *
- Change in pain characteristics (usually more intense after age 25)
- More localized pain, with one side that hurts more;
- Deep pain during and after sex
- More prolonged bleeding.
* Source: Ceres Resende (UnB)
– Text originally published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-62173141
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.
