Farah Mohamed, a 32-year-old project manager, had always assumed that the excruciating pain of menstruation was a universal experience for women. It was not until she fell to her knees in pain and sought medical care in 2023 that she learned that her intense discomfort was not a normal part of the menstrual cycle, but rather a painful symptom of endometriosis. Also known as uterine lining migration, endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory illness whose cause remains unknown, with no known means of prevention or cure, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is also characterized by debilitating pain that can occur during menstruation, sexual intercourse, bowel movements, and urination. “Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus, which normally builds up and sheds during a period, starts growing outside the uterus,” Abdallah Fayed, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), explained to Egyptian Streets. “This tissue can end up on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or even areas like the bladder or intestines.” Endometriosis affects one in ten women worldwide of reproductive age, between puberty and 50 years old, which translates to around 190 million women, according to WHO….
Endometriosis Misdiagnosis Traps Egyptian Women in Chronic Pain
November 10, 2024
By Nadine Tag
Journalist
