Throughout history, women’s reproductive health issues have often gone unnoticed and untreated. The disregard of pain as emotional hysterics has often left many women undiagnosed and on a constant search for help. As Endometriosis Awareness Month comes to a close, Sage D’Amato shares how proper treatment changed her life.
Endometriosis is a disease that causes tissue similar to the uterus to grow in areas outside the organ. Leading to severe menstrual pain and infertility issues, the disorder can be debilitating to women and their ability to complete daily tasks.
“Every month, for days, it would feel like I was giving childbirth,” explained D’Amato.
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 10% of women and girls of reproductive age struggle with endometriosis, making this a reality for around 190 million women worldwide.
Pushing for self-advocacy, Dr. Magdy Milad, chief of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery at Northwestern Medicine, explained the truth behind undiagnosed cases that are often mistaken for normal, painful menstrual cycles.
“Around 10% of all women in the U.S. may have endometriosis and don’t really know they have it,” he said.
