Endometriosis, the disease that few people talk about and famous like Susan Sarandom, Chenoa or Beth suffer

• Salud.From Chicote to Adele: the tortuous path of celebrities who achieved the most amazing weight loss

• Direct. Last minute on the coronavirus

There are diseases that are like gum under the desk.

They are hidden, hidden, covered under the table of ignorance and ignorance.

And, despite its high incidence in the population, no one is able to turn the table to show the reality of its scope and effect.

Endometriosis is one of those gums.

It is estimated that

. "It is a benign disease characterized by the remains of the endometrium, the inner face

a from the uterus, which are shed with each menstruation and from which bleeding occurs, instead of exiting through the vagina,

such as the ovaries, rectum, bladder, etc. ", explains Alicia Hernández, coordinator of the Endometriosis Unit and the Oncological Gynecology Unit of the Hospital Universitario La Paz.

sufferers have spoken openly about the pathology and its invisibility as

.

In the case of Sara Sálamo, the actress once told the magazine

that "very little is known about the disease, especially in Spain. Perhaps due to puritanism, because when something has to do with the reproductive organ, one does not want to talk, as if it were ashamed".

For her part, the singer Beth, who gave voice to

, one of the most listened to subjects in the decade of the 2000 and that defended it in Eurovisión already 17 years ago, it assured recently in an interview for Catalan television that if endometriosis "had it the uncles would speak more of her". The artist referred to the enormous pain she felt during her periods, which she had now been able to control.

"I have come to pass out, to vomit, to throw myself on the ground," he recalled.

This pain that the singer alludes to is what is known as

dysmenorrhea

, characterized by strong menstrual cramps. Dr. Hernández adds that, however, this intense discomfort does not only occur in the genital tract, but also

: "It is common for there to be pain at other levels, it is very generalized. For example, it is possible that the deposit of the endometrium occurs in the rectum, so intestinal conditions such as constipation or pain when defecating can occur". In addition to the symptoms pointed out, the disease

.

In fact, Beth commented that she got pregnant with her second child thanks to IVF.

Chenoa has on occasion confessed her problems to be a mother, not only because of the endometriosis she suffers, but also because of a beginning of uterine cancer that she overcame when she was 25 years old.

"We know that women with endometriosis have

.

This can facilitate an inadequate ovarian reserve that delays or prevents a spontaneous pregnancy ", details Hernández, who states that" the disease itself, due to an inflammatory immune disorder, creates an environment that is not the most appropriate to achieve an early pregnancy " Likewise, the gynecologist points out that

: "A 28-year-old woman with endometriosis is not the same as another patient with 37. After 35, the quantity and quality of oocytes decreases."

In this sense, the expert highlights the importance of detecting the pathology as soon as possible.

"Typically, the profile of a woman with endometriosis is one who has started with very abundant periods from a young age. The more bleeding occurs, the more the endometrium scales and the more pain there is. This means that there is a greater predisposition for this patient to develop the disease in the future, "indicates Hernández insists on the need to diagnose endometriosis early because any disease that causes chronic and repeated pain"

.

In addition, intense pelvic pain is very disabling. "The specialist points out that patients with this pathology spend their menstruation days disabled and bedridden." There are cases that are even bad all month, so they cannot have a life and a normal job, "he laments. About the lack of rapid detection, the American actress Susan Sarandom spoke about her experience with endometriosis several years ago for an American foundation of the disease and said that she suffered pain and infertility for many years, consulting many doctors without being diagnosed with the disease until he was 40: "I was never educated about endometriosis, and if my doctor had listened to me, surely I could have kept my ovaries."

Treatment scale

To combat endometriosis, Hernández details that there is a scale of treatments depending on the degree of the disease suffered by the patient.

"There are

hormonal treatments associated with analgesics

prescribed by gynecologists or accompanied by specialties from the pain unit, something that would represent another step in the therapeutic arsenal, "says the gynecologist, adding that a significant percentage of cases end up in surgery. Of course, she clarifies that whenever can combat pain through treatments that alleviate symptoms or improve infertility in reproductive units, surgical intervention should be avoided. Regarding this, the doctor states that "it is considered a

highly complex surgery

because the anatomical structures are not preserved at the time of intervention.

It is operated with the intention of eliminating all the disease and trying to preserve the genital apparatus of the patient ".

To continue reading for free

Sign inSign up

Or

and you will have access to all the web content of El Mundo

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more