#49 – When “Killer” Period Pain is Endometriosis ** November 5, 2014
Guest // Philippa Bridge-Cook, PhD ** Host // Chandler Marrs, PhD
“Every month, when my daughter’s period comes, she misses school and is in absolute agony.”
Is this normal?
Although many women and girls experience some discomfort during menstruation, “killer cramps” are NOT normal – despite what the media, friends, many physicians, and even well-intentioned loved ones tell us. Pain is the body’s way of saying something is wrong. Excessively painful periods, month after month, might be endometriosis.
Endo-what?
Although endometriosis affects 176 million girls and women worldwide, it’s poorly understood and often goes undiagnosed for many years leaving girls and women to suffer needlessly. Here are some basic facts from the global forum Endometriosis.org:
- Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disorder where endometrial tissue forms lesions outside the uterus.
- It affects an estimated 10% of women in the reproductive-age group.
- Symptoms include painful periods, painful ovulation, pain during or after sex, abnormal bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, fatigue, and infertility.
- There’s a 38% greater loss of work productivity due to pain.
- The estimated annual cost of endometriosis treatment in the U.S. is about $20 billion (2002 data).
- There is no known cure.
- Most current medical treatments are not suitable long term due to their side-effect profiles.
Join us for the first of a multi-part series about endometriosis and menstrual health.
Philippa Bridge-Cook, PhD is a scientist working in molecular diagnostics and trained in medical genetics and microbiology from the University of Toronto. She is also an endometriosis survivor and advocate, and is a regular contributor to Hormones Matter on topics related to endometriosis and more recently, cyclic vomiting syndrome. Phillippa is on the board of The Endometriosis Network Canada, a non-profit organization that promotes a patient-centered approach to managing endometriosis to increase the quality of life for those living with it.
Chandler Marrs, PhD, is proud mom of 20 year-old twins, a research scientist, an entrepreneur, a lifelong jock, and a fierce women’s health advocate. She has spent the last 15 years in women’s health research, first in perinatal mental health and hormones, and more recently in medication-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Dissatisfied with the state of health and hormone research, she created Hormones MatterTM, an online journal featuring research reviews, commentary, and patient stories across a range of health topics. Concerned with the lack of medication testing in women and children, she conducts online, direct-to-patient, real world medication safety and efficacy studies through her company, Lucine Health Sciences. Her most recent endeavor is the online social health site, Heal with FriendsTM, focused on finding healing solutions for complex and chronic diseases and medication and vaccine reactions.
My daughter was experiencing awful periods where she would black out, vomit, and cry due to the pain of cramps. We work with a local alternative doctor who helps us with supplements and diet. We cut way back on gluten and sugar, especially around period time. With the supplements, her estrogen went from 689 to 111. Her other hormones normalized too. This has made a big difference in symptoms.
HD, that’s fantastic. Our next show will cover just that topic, nutritional and other non-invasive ways to manage endometriosis and other pelvic pain syndromes. As an aside, my daughter too suffered immensely from period pain. We found magnesium, vitamin A and D have helped tremendously.
I’ve had several surgeries for endometriosis. I had fertility e’s issues etc…. I no longer get a period as a result of an ablation and I’m to I’m menapausal. I experience pain during and after intercourse. I also get terrible lower back pain and also deep pain like a contraction with the back pain during the same time each month. The pain at times can be severe especially after interciurse and a certain time during the month. I also have clots that are brown that pass although no period. I’ve been to the Dr. Several times about this. They tell me I’ve got some fibroid but none that would cause pain. I also have abnormal squamous cells during my pap. Is there anything to worry about. Can you still have endometriosis after having a child and when you are in menopause?
The ailment where the endometrial tissue is found on the outer part of the uterus or womb is termed as endometriosis. This stays between the lower part of the stomach or abdomen and the pelvic area. This disease does not spread on other parts of the body.