National Endometriosis Awareness Month is honored each year in March, but it is also observed worldwide.

Author: Jasmine Lowe

Vkind Communication Specialist

March is National Endometriosis Awareness Month in the U.S., while Endometriosis Awareness Day is observed on March 1st. The Endometriosis Association began Endometriosis Awareness Month in 1993. Today, Endometriosis Awareness Month is also observed worldwide through activities such as fundraising, education, and marches. During this month, the organization provides free worldwide distribution of popular yellow ribbons and brochures.

What Is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition that occurs in people who menstruate when tissue starts growing outside the uterus. 

The disorder affects approximately five million U.S. people who have uteruses, or 6 to 7 percent of the U.S. population, and affects roughly 190 million, or 10 percent, of menstruating people of reproductive age globally. Endometriosis tissue can also be found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or intestines and can often cause infertility. Unfortunately, this disorder is often unrecognized, even by those it affects.

Why Does Endometriosis Go Unnoticed?

Endometriosis often goes unnoticed for years because of the lack of awareness and the way it is diagnosed. The Center for Reproductive Medicine is doing its best to help promote greater awareness and understanding of endometriosis because of how debilitating it can be for people suffering from it. Many often have pain while urinating, extremely painful periods, excessive bleeding, and painful intercourse. Many also suffer acute lower abdominal and pelvic pain that can’t be eased by pain relievers. 

Although endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases, the disorder often goes undetected for years because the abdominal pain associated with the condition is mistaken for regular menstrual cramps. Many uninformed physicians and people who menstruate assume that the pain is something that they just have to deal with. On average, it takes 7.5 years for someone to be diagnosed with endometriosis through surgery.

Is There A Cure For Endometriosis?

The short answer to this question is no. Doctors aren’t entirely sure why endometriosis occurs, but many believe this may happen when cells that line the womb are carried to the pelvis during a person’s period. Unlike the cells from the womb lining, which can leave the body through the vagina during menstruation, the endometriotic cells have nowhere to escape. This may lead to pain and inflammation and, in some people, damage to the pelvic organs through the formation of scar tissue and cysts.

Unfortunately, endometriosis is a long-term chronic condition that can significantly impact a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, and daily routine. For some people, symptoms can stop them from doing their normal activities and may lead to feelings of depression and relationship difficulties. 

There is currently no cure for endometriosis, but there are treatments that can help to ease the symptoms. Hormone medicines and contraceptives, and surgery to treat or remove the endometriotic tissue when scar tissue or cysts are present, are some of the ways endometriosis symptoms can be relieved. Some people find that lifestyle changes and natural remedies can help relieve some of the symptoms, such as a healthy, well-balanced diet, exercise, and the use of a hot water bottle or taking a hot bath.

What Are Some Natural Symptom Relievers?

A plant-based diet does wonders for those seeking to reduce inflammation in the body. Anti-inflammatory foods are a great way to help reduce symptoms naturally. These foods include green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collards. Nuts, like almonds and walnuts, and fruits, like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges, also offer benefits to your overall health. 

Other anti-inflammatory foods include grapes, celery, garlic, olive oil, tea, flax seeds, soybeans, and some spices like ginger, rosemary, and turmeric. Limiting inflammatory foods with unhealthy fats, such as red meat, butter, and egg yolks, as well as processed and refined sugars and carbs, can also reduce inflammation.

How Do We Help Raise Awareness?

We need to discuss endometriosis in order for more research to happen and to help make meaningful changes. “The best way to spread the word about the disease is, in general, to talk about it,” says Tamer Seckin, MD, an endometriosis excision specialist, cofounder of EndoFound with Padma Lakshmi, and member of Everyday Health’s Wellness Advisory Board in an interview for Everyday Health. “The time for stigma and taboo concerning menstruation is over.” You can always search Vkind’s website or the app to find a vegan doctor near you for guidance if you believe you might suffer from endometriosis.

References

Marks, Julie Lynn. March 9, 2022. Endometriosis Awareness Month: March 2022

Everyday Health. https://www.everydayhealth.com/endometriosis/awareness-month/ 

World Health Organization (WHO). 31 March 2021. Endometriosis. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis

World Health Organization (WHO). International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) Geneva: WHO 2018.

Yale Medicine. Endometriosis. https://ym.care/sf5