Inside: Below are tips for overcoming the stigma around Endometriosis, a condition where tissue like the lining inside the womb is also trapped in the pelvic area and abdomen
People should feel like they can speak about their health and well-being freely. No subject should be all-consuming and not shared. Unfortunately, women often experience a great deal of stigma and shame when it comes to concerns with their own bodies. Alongside overbearing societal pressures to look a certain way, women must also contend with biological sex-specific health concerns that men can frown upon.
Endometriosis fits that bill. It’s a condition where tissue like the lining inside the womb is also trapped in the pelvic area and abdomen. Although seldom, it can also be found in other areas of the body.
Keep reading for some tips for overcoming the stigma around the condition.
1. Refine Your Knowledge
Many women know about endometriosis. However, unless you’re a specialist, you might not know everything about it. Patient, a website that aims to help the world proactively manage its healthcare by supplying evidence-based information on a wide range of medical and health topics to patients and health professionals, provides a lot of well-researched online literature on endometriosis and can help you avoid misinformation online. The website can help you better understand the condition, evaluate symptoms, causes, and treatments, and explain possible procedures for an endometriosis diagnosis. Striving to make sure you’re reliably informed, you can trust these resources completely.
It’s also important to know where there are gaps in knowledge, even among the experts. For example, endometriosis causes are not currently known, though much speculation exists. Learn what you can from the experts, but remember that no one person has all of the answers. Refining your knowledge of endometriosis by using evidence-based facts can help you become a better advocate for yourself and decipher which false claims to ignore.
2. Follow the Latest Studies
Though there’s guidance available on endometriosis, medical science is always advancing. Every day there are new procedures and resources for diagnosing and treating ailments. For endometriosis, it’s been reported that a new imaging study could make diagnosing the condition more accurate and quicker, reducing the need for invasive surgeries. The UK government is also aiming to reduce the diagnosis time of the condition, starting with four years or less by 2025 and a year or less by 2030.
Though women’s health concerns have largely been sat on for some time, especially when it comes to endometriosis, things are seemingly starting to change. Enough awareness has been built around the condition now where concrete actions are being taken, and stigmas and assumptions are being replaced with science and solutions. Try to take heart in the shifting consensus and know that help is increasingly available.
3. Approach Doctors Differently
You should always see a doctor amid any health concerns. However, you have some say in your experience, and exercising your rights as a patient is important.
Among other things, in a recent report, multiple women revealed that they went to the doctors for suspected cases of endometriosis, only for the GPs to attribute the discomfort to things like period pains or even imaginings. In some accounts, the patient was ignored entirely. Obviously, these situations cannot be allowed to stand.
If you’ve visited a doctor and are unsatisfied with the help offered, you can complain to the NHS. It can certainly be worth doing so, especially regarding endometriosis. Alternatively, you could avoid seeing male doctors entirely and specify that you’d like to see a female health professional. Your practice should abide by that request, and you can discuss these concerns more candidly and comfortably.
Final Thoughts on 3 Practical Tips For Overcoming Stigma Around Endometriosis
It’s important to remember that your health should be your first priority. While there may be stigma attached with endometriosis, it’s important to remember that this is much more common than you think. You can educate yourself by reading the latest studies and redefining your knowledge so that you’re more informed. Remember to speak to your doctor for more relevant information for your situation if you have any questions.
Ella Woodward
Ella Woodward is an experienced writer and SEO expert who enjoys writing about new topics and sharing her insight with a wide range of readers. She likes sharing her knowledge with her readers and helping them to transform their lives.