Challenges of living with endometriosis

March is endometriosis awareness month and it is estimated that one out of every 10 women has the disease. Endometriosis occurs when the tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. The tissue can develop in the abdomen, ovaries, bowels or even in the bladder. More often than not, diagnosis takes years to diagnose and symptoms might be disregarded as something normal.

Women with endometriosis go through a lot of struggles that you cannot understand unless you are one of them. Check out some of the challenges they go through:

1. You can’t wait for menopause

Sad girl gif(Giphy) Pulse Live Kenya

You experience so much pain during menstruation and all you can wish for is for your menopause to come fast enough. At least you won’t have to deal with period pain anymore.

ALSO READ: List of Kenyan celebrities battling endometriosis

2. Don’t even mention about misdiagnosis

You will be told it’s just normal periods or the pain will eventually disappear on its own once you give birth. Before you are diagnosed with endometriosis, some women are usually misdiagnosed with different health conditions while endometriosis is still progressing.

3. Sex is hell

Endometriosis struggles (LoveThisPic) Pulse Live Kenya

When sex is painful, you can never look forward to it, can you? And how do you even tell the guy you just started dating about it?

4. Getting pregnant is a different story

Infertility(theGrio) Infertility Pulse Live Kenya

People will be on your toes asking when you are getting pregnant not knowing what you are going through because endometriosis makes conception pretty difficult.

5. You live in fear of losing your job because, well, you have been missing work for days

Attending classes and going to work is not the same for women with endometriosis. There are days that the pain is too much that you can hardly get out of bed. Will your boss understand?

How to tell if your period pain is actually endometriosis

6. The drugs take a toll on your body

overwhelmed-gif(Holmes Marketing) Pulse Live Kenya

To relieve the symptoms, you might be given hormonal drugs that even though they might help, the side effects are horrible. Hot flashes, chin hair, mood swings and night sweats are some of the side effects of the treatment.