According to experts, chronic pelvic pain is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. The average time to diagnosis for endometriosis worldwide is 6.6 years.
ADVERTISINGAn online training program in Australia aims to help women suffering from chronic pelvic pain feel less abandoned.
The Vagenius Training also aims to help general practitioners better understand persistent pelvic pain.
Accordingly the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) In the UK, around one in six women suffer from chronic pelvic pain at some point in their lives.
Chronic pelvic pain is pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis that lasts longer than six months.
Louise Richardson-Self, a chronic pelvic pain patient from Hobart, Australia, relieves these symptoms, which are a result of her endometriosis and adenomyosis, with stretching exercises, medications and an anti-inflammatory diet.
“Sometimes I have burning and stabbing pain, sometimes a deep pulling sensation, sometimes I have muscle spasms and a kind of bruising feeling,” Richardson-Self said.
Richardson-Self said it wasn’t easy to get the diagnosis.
“It baffles me that I was only diagnosed with endometriosis at the age of 33, even though it runs in my family,” she told the Australian Public News Service. ABC News.
“I had to beg people to take me seriously and make the effort to look,” she added.
According to experts, chronic pelvic pain is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Research at the University of YorkAccording to the study, it takes an average of 6.6 years worldwide for endometriosis to be diagnosed. In the UK, delays of up to 27 years have been reported.
“If pain is affecting a person’s daily life to the point where they can’t go to work or school or care for their family as well as they could, that’s not normal,” says Emily Ware, a general practitioner for gynaecology and trainer at Vagenius Training.
Ware says she didn’t learn much about chronic pelvic pain during her medical training.
“These patients need a team, but the primary care physician is the perfect person to lead that team, manage care and take good care of the patient,” Ware added.
The founder of the training program says it is also designed to debunk myths and misconceptions.
“Even today, people are told they should have a baby to cure endometriosis,” says Rachel Andrew, physical therapist, educator and founder of Vagenius Training.
Australia was the first country to introduce a national action plan against endometriosis in 2018.
In 2023, the Australian government will open 20 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics nationwide with a planned budget of more than 700,000 Australian dollars (421,000 euros) per clinic over four years, according to the Ministry of Health and Elderly Care of the State.
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Video editing • Roselyne Min
