Ask anyone with endometriosis how long it took them to get a diagnosis, and they’ll probably tell you a very long horror story.
Doctors who didn’t listen, didn’t believe them, didn’t even bring up the possibility that the crippling pain they’ve been suffering for years and years might be, y’know, a condition that affects one in ten women. (740,000 people in Australia, to be precise.)
But a new test being launched in the UK can detect endometriosis in over 90% of cases – and instead of invasive surgery, all it requires is a blood test.
People with endo have tissue similar to uterine lining that grows where it’s not supposed to be. It’s super painful, and on average, it currently takes over seven years to get a diagnosis, it often requires keyhole surgery to confirm, and that’s usually after spending a LOT of time having doctors tell you pain is just part of the whole having-a-womb thing.
In honor of endometriosis awareness month, MAKE YOUR DOCTORS LISTEN. Mine was undiagnosed for 5 years & they always told me “it’s not an issue till you are trying to get pregnant.” Well that’s false & I ended up having to get surgery yesterday. So ladies always trust your gut!! pic.twitter.com/GyOmUBsXTl
— Megs (@meghannicole27) March 29, 2019
But the test developed by UK researchers can detect biomarkers on tiny scraps of DNA in a blood sample, and it picked it up in 90% of cases in the study – even when the condition wasn’t very advanced.
Endo is bigger than just “period pain” – it’s a chronic condition without a cure that can require regular surgery, and can seriously affect fertility.
Spread some knowledge #Endometriosis #Endo #EndometriosisAwarenessMonth #EndoAwareness #ChronicEndo pic.twitter.com/vMBx2yQRuL
— Endo Warrior (@ChronicEndo) March 31, 2019
So yeah, this is a big deal.
The test should be available in the UK within nine months or so.
It’d be nice to see Australia get into gear so this test can be trialled here ASAP too.
Something that could make hundreds of thousands of Australians’ lives better should maybe be a priority, hmmm?
