Imagine the feeling of being stabbed with a knife. Many times a day. Rachel Tønnessen describes the pain, which spreads from the abdomen up the spine. – I am just one of many girls who struggle with this, and our lives are ruined. After many years of excruciating pain, she finally got an answer to what was wrong. In March, she had peephole surgery, which resulted in the diagnosis of endometriosis. Losing the spark of life At the age of 12, Rachel got her first period. Since then the pain has been great. She was told that it would be painful to have her period. She says the situation has worsened over the past three years. Because of the pain, she spends most of her time in bed and takes morphine every day. – It affects my quality of life. There is almost nothing left of it. And still I just have to wait and wait. Women’s health is not taken seriously enough. She says there is a year’s waiting time at a pain clinic and a poor offer of physiotherapy. – Shame that more is not done Endometriosis is a chronic disease where tissue grows outside the uterus, and can cause great pain. The diagnosis cannot be cured. Around 250,000 Norwegian women are affected. Marita Anette Sandvold Lonheim, who is a gynecologist and specialist in women’s diseases at the Mandal Specialist Center is calling for political action. – It has been disappointing for us in the professional community who had hoped that there would be a movement and something more would happen. She believes that creating a national competence center would give a big boost. – I think a fairly large number of the women who end up receiving disability benefits may have endometriosis. Relatively little is needed for these women to have a better quality of life, the gynecologist believes. – It is a bit shameful for a country as rich as Norway that we are unable to catch more people and provide the right treatment to those who need it. – Low priority for far too long Chairman of the Endometriosis Association, Elisabeth Raashold Larby, has recently criticized the Minister of Health in a reader post. There she questions the politicians’ willingness to help the patient group. – There is too little knowledge about the disease among healthcare personnel, and women’s health has been a low priority for far too long, she says. She also says that it is a big problem that it often takes too many years to get a diagnosis. The problems caused by endometriosis cost society NOK 13 billion, according to the association’s calculations. Elisabeth Raashold Larby and the Endometriosis Association believe that Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol has not delivered on the promises she made to women with endometriosis. Photo: Endometriosis Association Facts about endometriosis Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to that in the uterus grows outside the uterus. It takes an average of seven years to be diagnosed. It is usually detected by peephole surgery. Because the symptoms can be very different, misdiagnosis is common. Common symptoms can include severe pain during menstruation, heavy bleeding, difficulty in conceiving, pain during intercourse and fatigue. Endometriosis occurs in approximately 10 percent of women and is the most common female disease we have Many people live without symptoms About 40 percent of infertile people have endometriosis The tissue can grow on fallopian tubes, ovaries, peritoneum, intestines, ureter and bladder The most common form of treatment is peephole surgery and contraceptives such as birth control pills or spirals Source: Endometriosis Association – Trengs more funds Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) says she wants to initiate measures to increase knowledge and expertise about endometriosis. – The Norwegian Directorate of Health must also propose measures that can increase the competence of general practitioners, in the school health service and at the health centres. Professor and head of the National Center for Women’s Health Research, Siri Vangen, writes to news that there is no research into endometriosis at the research center right now. – Women’s health is such a large field that we have to concentrate on a few areas at a time. Siri Vangen is a researcher and head of the National Center for Women’s Health Research at Oslo University Hospital. Photo: National Center for Women’s Health Research When asked if enough money is allocated for research into endometriosis, she replies that funds are needed for research into all women’s health topics. – There is some earmarked funding for women’s health research, both from the Research Council of Norway and the health institutions, but it is too little. At the same time, Rachel is sitting at home waiting for a treatment offer that can help her out of the pain and back to work and school.
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Rachel (22) lives with unbearable pain. One in ten women is affected. – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
