It's time to enhance endometriosis care – Ljusdals-Posten

One in ten women of reproductive age is thought to have endometriosis, a disease in which the lining of the uterus or cells like it can end up in other parts of the abdomen. Diagnosis takes a long time and the suffering is often great. Ignorance means that many who seek support from the healthcare system do not receive the right help at the right time. The disease often first appears in adolescence, and if left untreated, the disease increases the risk of infertility, mental illness and ovarian cancer, as well as chronic pain. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are especially important. More than 100,000 people suffer from problems that affect their lives, which is twice the number of Swedes who are estimated to have diabetes – which is classified as a national disease.

Positively, the current government takes the lack of women's health care seriously and has tasked the National Board of Health and Welfare with reviewing the need for knowledge support and information efforts regarding endometriosis and other gynecological diseases. Because it is needed. Eight out of ten young people have never heard of endometriosis and only half of adults. Less than half of those with severe stomach pain seek help from the health care system.

Four years ago, the first national guidelines were evaluated and a number of deficiencies were found, including:

▪️ The possibility of relieving acute pain well, as the focus is on the patient’s needs

▪️ Hormone therapy and modern medicine should be offered to more patients if surgery or hormone supplements are not successful.

▪️ Follow up on treatments

▪️Multidisciplinary endometriosis teams are still not available in all women's clinics

▪️Access to pain specialists is low and knowledge of the disease is still low

It is time for a new proper evaluation that can provide answers on how to address the above shortcomings. A national quality registry for all endometriosis care should also be established. As many as one in ten women of childbearing age live with this sufficient cause!

It is time to enhance care for those affected by endometriosis and increase knowledge about this disease!

Sarah Colegren (KD), President of the Christian Democratic Women's Association

AnneLi Törnblom (KD), President of the KD Women's Association in Gäfleborg