Yasmina Kattou, edited by Laura Laplaud 06:54, February 14, 2022

At the request of the President of the Republic, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran will convene this Monday the first interministerial steering committee with a view to establishing a strategy for the fight against endometriosis, by making recognition and management this disease a national priority. 

Emmanuel Macron is keen on it, he wants to make endometriosis a national priority.

The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, has been entrusted with this mission.

On Monday, it meets the first interministerial monitoring committee to establish a strategy to fight against endometriosis.

Around him, the Ministers of Labour, Higher Education, Equality between Women and Men, but also the Secretary of State for Children and Families and the Secretary of State for Youth .

Doctors and associations are also invited to provide their expertise. 

What is endometriosis?

It's the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, which normally breaks down each month thanks to menstruation.

In sick women, the endometrium does not completely evacuate and this causes various symptoms.

In general, very disabling pain during menstruation, painful sexual intercourse or even intense fatigue on a daily basis.

So, there are treatments to stop the progression of the disease, to control it, but these treatments do not cure endometriosis.

Provide better support

Endometriosis is the leading cause of infertility in France.

Making it a national cause is therefore a small victory for the associations which have been fighting for years for better management of this disease.

A little-known disease, because it is difficult to diagnose, which nevertheless affects 10% of women of childbearing age, i.e. 1.5 to 2.5 million women.

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It often takes several years before this disease can be diagnosed.

Why ?

Because symptoms vary from woman to woman.

And also, because few doctors are trained in this complex disease.

Endometriosis = infertility?

What we know is that 40% of infertile women suffer from endometriosis.

On the other hand, a patient with endometriosis is not necessarily infertile.

Gynecologist Laurence Hamou, a specialist in the disease, is very reassuring on this point: "We see more and more young women who are diagnosed with endometriosis, it's immediately 'There will be concerns for getting pregnant', you still have to reassure them, there are a lot of patients who have endometriosis and who will be able to have spontaneous pregnancies, getting pregnant easily, it's not 100%", explains the specialist.

Patients who suffer from an advanced stage of the disease can benefit from support to freeze their oocytes, with a view to medically assisted procreation.