TRAINING
The truth about endometriosis
Andri Tucker, Marketing and Sales IUS & GT,
from Bayer, spoke to the attendees about
endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a common condition
that affects up to 10% of all women during
their child-bearing years. It occurs when
tissue like that which lines the inside of the
uterus, grows outside the uterus in places
that it is not supposed to grow - usually on
the surfaces of organs in the pelvic and
abdominal cavity.1
The two most common
symptoms of endometriosis
are pain and infertility
The most common types of pain
experienced by women who have
endometriosis are:
• severe menstrual cramps
• chronic pelvic pain
• painful intercourse
Pain can be so intense that it can affect a
woman’s quality of life possibly impairing
social and professional functioning during
what would otherwise be a very productive
period in her life.
The severity of the pain does not always
correlate with the extent of the disea se – and
endometriosis may also be found in women
who experience few or no symptoms.
The “cluster” of symptoms that should
raise the suspicion that endometriosis may
exist are:
• Pelvic pain
• Heavy menstrual periods
• Pain during or after sex
• Infertility
• Other painful symptoms such as low back
pain, and bowel and bladder symptoms
can also be present.
It can take more than eight years for a
diagnosis to finally be made! Many women
with endometriosis experience debilitating
pain that can interfere with their daily life
and have an impact on work and personal
relationships. Lack of awareness of
endometriosis is common. It is also a
common misperception that pain and heavy
menstrual bleeding is “normal” and just
something women have to “put up with”.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
If a patient is experiencing any of the
symptoms associated with endometriosis it
is important to refer them to a doctor for
medical help. The patient may be putting up
with unnecessary painful symptoms that
they have been told by friends and family are
“normal”.
Currently there is no cure for
endometriosis, but there are a variety of
treatments that doctors can prescribe.
There is also no single treatment that works
in all women. But there are medications that
can reduce pain, and /or remove
endometriotic lesions, preserve fertility, and
improve quality of life.
There is now a specific medication for the
treatment of endometriosis, Visanne® - and it
is available in South Africa. It is in the form
of a daily tablet, has a potent effect on the
endometrium, stopping the growth of the
endometrium lining as well as having antiinflammatory actions.
Cape Town Training
Santie Janse van Rensburg – Clicks Head Office, and Tanya
Wilson - Clicks Head Office, and Muneer Rahaman – Clicks
Pinelands
Steve White - Forest Glade
Tana Hattingh - Bayside, Dis-Chem and Elna
Sauer – Tygervallei Dis-Chem
Winners of the Grandpa prizes in Cape Town: Suwayda Mohammed –
Khayelisha Pharmacy, Edna Wilkinson – Lifestyle Pharmacy and Maryka
Hartogh – Bayside, Dis-Chem
Tabita May – Clicks Gugulethu, Fatthiyyah Solomons – Lifestyle Pharmacy,
Edna Wilkinson – Lifestyle Pharmacy and Mangiwe Boso – Lifestyle Pharmacy
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