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Endometriosis in Teens Often Misdiagnosed
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| Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 | Emily Halevy | CWK Producer |
“So often, a young women’s severe cramps are written off as something she has to get used to.”
– Robert B. Albee, Jr., M.D., gynecologist
Over five million U.S. women suffer from a disease that very often goes undiagnosed. And for two-thirds of those women, the condition begins during their teenage years.
19-year-old Bethany Monroe is one of them. She woke up one morning in severe pain.
“It was awful - it was just - I, I didn’t want to be awake,” she remembers. “I just wanted to go to sleep, cause it was so bad. It was just a constant throbbing and really sharp pain.”
The diagnosis: endometriosis - an abnormal growth of tissue in the pelvic area. It can cause inflammation, severe pain and sometimes infertility.
And doctors say they’re seeing it more often today, in teens.
“The question would be are we starting to open our eyes more and making the diagnosis earlier, or are we truly seeing more of it,” says gynecologist Dr. Robert B. Albee, Jr. He thinks many doctors are just more aware of endometriosis now.
Either way, it’s often misdiagnosed. Bethany was told she had kidney stones; another doctor said appendicitis.
Dr. Albee says there are two reasons why it often takes time for a correct diagnosis. One, he says, “I think that a lot of people start with symptoms that are not necessarily specific.”
Another, he says, is “ignorance. Not considering the diagnosis - there are doctors that don’t believe teenagers can have ‘endo’. What a shame.”
The symptoms include back pain, constipation, fatigue and, most commonly, consistently painful menstrual cramps - which many women and doctors dismiss.
“I didn’t realize that it could be something other than just a normal period.” says Bethany. “I thought it was just, ‘oh, I’m one of those girls who has terrible cramps,”
“So often, a young women’s severe cramps are written off as something she has to get used to,” says Albee.
Bethany underwent surgery, which doctors say is 91 percent effective in curing the disease.
It was for Bethany. “After that, it was just, the pain was gone,” she says. “It was great.”
What We Need To Know
- There are many theories to the cause of endometriosis, but no definitive explanation. Doctors have found that, in studies of twins, there is a 30% coincidence rate. (Robert B. Albee, Jr., M.D., FACOG, ACGE, gynecologist)
- Girls with endometriosis generally have a difficult time handling their menstrual period, due to the fact that their symptoms get progressively worse over time. (Robert B. Albee, Jr., M.D., FACOG, ACGE, gynecologist)
- Birth control and pregnancy have both been shown to reduce the symptoms of endometriosis, but neither are cures. (Robert B. Albee, Jr., M.D., FACOG, ACGE, gynecologist)
- Basic gynecological exams for young, healthy girls should start in the range of 18-21 years old. If you daughter consistently complains of cramps, or if her period begins to get in the way of school and activities, get her in to see a gynecologist earlier. (Robert B. Albee, Jr., M.D., FACOG, ACGE, gynecologist)
Resources
- Center for Endometriosis Care
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
