On 25th March, 2023, the Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria embarked on an annual awareness and sensitisation campaign on endometriosis and its far-reaching effect on many young girls and women in Nigeria and across the world.
As a way of joining the world in marking World’s Endometriosis Day which is usually observed in the month of March, the ESGN group which is at the forefront of internationally recognized NGOs was all out in ensuring people understand the disease more and more through their activities in Nigeria.
This year’s campaign was held in style with a unique theme; “Go Yellow and Dance 4 Endo”. It saw many of its participants storm the venue; The Good Beach which is located in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The sensitization was fun as every participant was dressed in a unique but symbolic yellow shirt to mark the day. They all danced for endometriosis and the organisers admonished them on the many things they needed to know about the abnormal condition of the body.
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus causing severe pain in the pelvis and making it harder to get pregnant. It affects about 10% of reproductive age women and girls globally and can start at a person’s first menstrual period and last until menopause.
With endometriosis, tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. This leads to inflammation and scar tissue forming in the pelvic region and (rarely) elsewhere in the body.
As the awareness and sensitization campaign of the disease grows across the world, Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria (ESGN) is a non-profit organization that has joined the world by joining the rest of the world in holding in the campaign. It is continually raising awareness on endometriosis and providing help and support for those affected.
ESGN is at the forefront of internationally recognized peer-reviewed and professional services, programs and resources and is actively lobbying for better outcomes for the combined market and population involved with endometriosis, including the Nigerian Government.
Speaking more about the disease is a renowned fertility expert and gynaecologist, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi. In his words he identified those who are vulnerable to having the disease and how best they can go about treating it.
“Endometriosis is common in women who have never had children. It is commoner in people who either start menstruating early in life less than 11 years and its commoner in people who don’t stop menstruating until later in life. And then it’s common in people who are slimmer. And of course, the most important thing is the family history.
“It’s not all the time that you need surgeries. Even there are drugs that can be used. The current management of endometriosis is trying to limit surgery because before now, we have seen so many people who have heard 13-14 surgeries. and One thing about the surgeries is that sometimes it also compromises their fertility.
“Menstrual pains that disturbed your chores are not normal, if your menstrual pain disturbs your chores please see a gynaecologist.
Also speaking to the press was a stakeholder in the campaign, Mrs. Tola Ajayi. She is a skilled and resourceful Clinic Manager and fertility counselor. She spoke on the psychological effect of the diseases and how it can affect every day activities of its patients. She however advised that more awareness about endometriosis should be created so that people can understand and lend a helping hand to patients.
“There is no way that anything that affected a woman will not affect a man eventually because if you are married, your husband does not understand the condition and how you feel when experiencing endometriosis, he may think that you are just being lazy; every woman bleeds every month and why is your own different? At work people will not understand you because you are taking time off. So, everybody needs to know what endometriosis is and give support that is necessary.
“When a woman menstruates every month, we shed the lining of the uterus and it comes as our menses. But in endometriosis, apart from the linings which are in our Uterus, that linings; the tissue is also present in other places. It can be on the tongue. It can be on the brain, it can be on the rectum, it can be on the navel and anywhere. So anywhere that the tissue is present, when the woman is menstruating every month, that place also will bleed. So, women experience pain during menses but the pains experienced in endometriosis are more than normal. It’s a kind of pain that makes you not functional. Unfortunately, Endometriosis for now, is not curable but can be managed.
She concluded by advising patients to see a gynaecologist rather than remaining silent in pain.
