The Government has announced a new endometriosis education campaign, which will be rolled out across schools and workplaces.
The new HSE programme will focus on educating the public on menstrual health, including endometriosis. It is called MISE (Menstrual Information Specialising in Endometriosis) and will be the first time a defined clinical care pathway on endometriosis will be available to Irish women. A spokesperson for MISE said the course will help people recognise the early symptoms so they can seek medical care more easily.
It was first developed in New Zealand. Kathleen King, a patient and advocate of endometriosis awareness, brought the campaign to Ireland. King, alongside Cate O’Connor have been volunteering in schools across the country. Now the government will be supporting the nationwide rollout of the education programme in schools, sports clubs and workplaces.
The announcement comes during Endometriosis Awareness Month. Taking place every March, it highlights the impact the chronic disease has on millions of women’s lives. The HSE (Health Service Executive) state that it is ‘‘among the most prevalent health conditions affecting women in Ireland, for which currently, there is no known cure’’. It is thought in Ireland that over 200,000 women are affected by the disease.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition where endometrium-like cells grow outside of the uterus. It is thought that the cause is hormone-mediated, beginning during puberty and ending in the menopause. It can cause inflammation and scar tissue to grow in the pelvic region, as well as other parts of the body, which causes chronic pain.
The condition is also hard to diagnose because of the way it presents itself. It impacts a woman’s physical and mental well-being with symptoms including pelvic pain, menstrual pain, nausea, fatigue and bloating.
At the launch of the campaign, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeil said, “Endometriosis has long been an under-recognised and under-treated condition, but progress is now being made in raising awareness and enhancing our services’. She went on to say she is committed to ‘improving support services for women and promoting awareness of endometriosis, both among the public and within our health services.”