Endometriosis is defined as a condition in which the tissue lining the womb begins to grow in other areas of the body such as the ovaries or the stomach, as explained on the HSE website. This condition can only affect people with female reproductive organs.
As a result, it is something that is misunderstood and under diagnosed because, simply, it does not affect cis men. And, like most things in the world, anything that doesn’t directly affect men is deemed unimportant by the fabulous social construct of the patriarchy. (note the sarcasm)
Symptoms include pelvic pain that gets worse during your period, pain after sex, pain while using the toilet and heavy periods. Now, all of these things honestly seem normal enough to me, some of the blights that just come along with being a woman, but how do I know if there is actually something wrong? The thing is, the media has led us to believe all of the above symptoms are just part of every female’s life and something that we must learn to live with.
But what if there is actually a problem? I can tell you right now that if I went to my doctor to complain about any one of these symptoms, his first suggestion would likely be for me to go on the pill to “control my hormones”. Without even checking me over physically or really investigating the issue, the automatic response is to blame women’s biological blueprint for “a few cramps”. Now, I am well aware that this is a hypothetical scenario in my head, the unfortunate truth is that this is a reality for too many women.
One thing I discovered when researching this issue, is that the cause of endometriosis is unknown. I highly doubt that a medical condition that affected 1 in every 10 men, would have the cause left up to the imagination in this day and age. And as always with these situations, not only is it women who are disproportionately affected, but also those of ethic backgrounds.
The issue here is more serious though than just one condition that is underdiagnosed, it’s the fact that our opinions and our concerns about bodies are not listened to and not taken seriously by the very people whose literal job it is to protect our health. The bottom line is that as women, we must continue to fight for the very basic right of having our voices heard.