(KY3/WKYT) – Recent changes in women’s health guidelines have some patients and doctors hopeful for a quicker diagnosis.
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that leaves lesions on the uterus that can cause chronic pain and infertility.
For Ali Schermer and many other women around the world, it took more than 15 years to get properly diagnosed, but now that’s changing.
“I had had a lot of symptoms since I was 15 years old. So for, again, the last 18 years, I had an idea that I probably had endometriosis as well. But it’s very hard to diagnose,” Schermer said.
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists updated endometriosis diagnosis guidelines earlier this year, cutting down on the multiyear diagnosis process many women have gone through and recommending more options for treatment.
“A lot of our patients are opting maybe first to try some of those new treatments instead of jumping maybe straight to surgery. But when we look at kinds of things overall, for endometriosis, most women don’t have a diagnosis for 10 to 14 years on average after they kind of look into why they’re having such painful periods,” said Dr. Sankuratri, an OBGYN at Mercy Springfield.
New imaging methods show promise
ACOG is trying to increase awareness about new methods like imaging tests, but the technology doesn’t detect all forms of the disease.
“The problem is that with the staging of endometriosis, there’s stages one through four,” Schermer said. “So an ultrasound and MRI, while it may be great and we’re seeing improvements in that technology, it can still sometimes miss an underlying diagnosis.”
Sankuratri says he’s seen an increase in interest and effort going toward women’s health and treating endometriosis.
“It’s not just about chronic pelvic pain, but these are things that affect the quality of life for somebody, again, lifelong, even through menopause. We’re talking about fertility concerns, pain concerns, etcetera. So it’s really important that we make these diagnoses as early as possible so we can get the treatment that we need to,” Sankuratri said.
Schermer says she’s happy to see research being put into this field and treatment expanding.
“These changes are important. Just the fact that you’re here having this conversation with me is a huge deal,” Schermer said. “Because, again, 17, 18 years ago, it wasn’t talked about. Our doctors barely knew anything about it. So the really cool thing is that we’re seeing lots more research coming out about endometriosis.”
Schermer, who is now a pelvic floor physical therapist with The 417 Female, says these conversations are key to making sure other women don’t have to live with pain undiagnosed for years.