By Adeola Ogunlade
The co-founder of African Endometriosis Awareness, Dr Ajayi Abayomi has advised women who are experiencing pain during sex and their regular menses to consult medical doctor for endometriosis diagnosis treatment and possible management.
Abayomi said this recently at a Dance session to mark the Annual Endometriosis Awareness Campaign organised by Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria held at Good Beach, Lekki, Lagos.
The event tagged Inequalities brought together medical personnel, civil society groups, and women living with endometriosis in Nigeria.
According to him, one out 10 women and girls of reproductive age all over the world have endometriosis and some of the major symptoms of the ailment among women is that they will experience pain during sex and their lives get hurt during their menses because of the pain that comes with it.
He said, “Pain during or after sexual intercourse is a common symptom associated with endometriosis – a disorder that affects women in their reproductive years.
“Some women experience unbearable pains during any form of intercourse, but others experience it only with deep penetration. They feel pain only at certain times of the month, such as around the time of the period, while others feel it throughout the month. These are the challenges women with endometriosis face.
Ajayi added “Severe abdominal pain and cramping can force most women to make changes in everyday life. As a woman with endometriosis, you need to explain to your partner the nature of your pain, and how it affects you, physically and emotionally
Ajayi, who is the Medical Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, explained that endometriosis is a medical condition where the tissue that usually lines the womb also grows in other parts of the body.
He lamented that there has been a lot of misconception and misdiagnoses which lead to delays in treatment, sometimes for several years, adding that it is treatable and preventable.
“Some have been accused of witchcraft because they are bleeding from their navel and it is just endometriosis. Some endometriosis patients cough out blood when they are menstruating because the deposits are in the chest and that looks like Tuberculosis to many Doctors”.
“It is not unusual to see patients who have been placed on anti-TB drugs and all they have is endometriosis. Infertility is also an issue for them. This is what attracted me because I am a fertility doctor”, he said.
“You also need to talk about your need to love and be loved and your fear of intercourse and fear of intimacy that may lead to intercourse. Talk about your guilt about not being able to have intercourse and your fear about unwillingness to have sexual intercourse which might be interpreted as a sign of rejection.”
Stressing on the need for awareness creation, the clinical gynecologist noted that appropriate and prompt diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis would help reduce the negative impact on women’s health.
Ajayi calls for awareness around the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis which had been identified as a significant factor in the treatment of female infertility.
“The best way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy – an operation performed under general anaesthetic, where a small instrument called a laparoscope (a tube-like telescope with light in it), is inserted into the abdomen through a cut in the belly button. The goals of endometriosis treatment may include pain relief or enhancement of fertility”, he said.
Ajayi said health workers have to be aware of the condition and its existence, stressing that doctors can only think of diagnosing a condition if they know of its existence and possibility.
He said, “One of the issues health experts have is that endometriosis is a condition that presents in more ways that could suggest other conditions.