Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects one in nine Australian women.
It causes tissue that mimics the same tissue in the uterine lining to grow outside of the uterus. As the symptoms are similar to that of other conditions, and even regular menstrual cycles, the condition is often overlooked. Symptoms include severe pain during menstrual periods, heavy bleeding, bloating, nausea, fatigue, and infertility.
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and an opportunity to learn about the illness.
The Post’s publisher, Tina Brown, speaks about her own experience with endometriosis.
After suffering with constant, debilitating pain throughout her teens and 20s, Tina was finally diagnosed in her mid-20s with endometriosis.
‘I was shaking and vomiting, I started to cancel personal things I was looking forward to. I had a high-pressure job in management consulting, and I found myself physically unable to make commitments,’ explains Tina. ‘It was unbearable.’
Her first laparoscopy to remove the overgrown tissue was when she was 26, though the endometriosis always grew back. The gynaecologist told Tina that if she was thinking about children, it would need to be sooner rather than later. This timeline didn’t suit her as she was committed to building her career, so when it came to conceiving, it took some effort.
It was only after having her children almost ten years later did the condition settle. When the children were primary school age, endometriosis returned. Tina underwent a subtotal hysterectomy, and after twenty years, the symptoms were alleviated.
‘I’ve never looked back, it was the best decision,’ she says. ‘Now to be 50 and be healthy and have none of these issues, I feel like a totally different person.’
Looking back, Tina realises that for a long time, she had internalised the pain and convinced herself that she was simply not handling regular menstruation well.
‘If you don’t feel right, check it out,’ says Tina. ‘If it’s too much pain for you, it’s too much pain for you and that is valid. You must advocate for yourself.’
