不乏标签和委婉语。 这是一个自然的，爱恨的现实，将世界一半的人口融合在一起。 长期以来，许多人每月都坐在沉默的残酷痛苦中，远远超过了正常的界限。 坎莫尔（Canmore）的凯蒂·叶（Katie Leaf）说：“你总是有那些说‘哦，这只是不好的抽筋，哦，这只是一个肚子的疼痛。’但是我知道我的身体，我知道有什么问题。” “我觉得我们经常被抹黑，被告知我们很好，或者没有太多痛苦，被忽视，传递。” 鸣叫她说：“这真的很令人沮丧，我感到不被听的愤怒。” 
凯蒂（Katie）的痛苦始于十几岁，她从未放弃为自己提倡。在21岁时，她被诊断出患有子宫内膜异位和多囊卵巢综合征。 “我已经降落在医院很多次 - 疼痛令人眼花。你不能动，你不能直截了当，看不到直。” 鸣叫劳拉·麦克唐纳（Laura McDonald）花了23年的时间才因子宫内膜异位症引起的时期疼痛而被诊断出来。 她说：“有人告诉我，疼痛在我的脑海中有时会想到疼痛。” “我患有健康焦虑，被转介给了我必须进行认知行为疗法的咨询。 “我不知道我怎么了。” 鸣叫子宫内膜异位症会影响生殖年龄的十分之一 - 通常发现子宫内壁的细胞扩散到人体其他部位，从而导致疼痛，大量出血和有时不育症。 
目前，被诊断为子宫内膜异位症的黄金标准是通过腹腔镜手术，外科医生通常会尝试对子宫外生长的子宫内膜组织进行切除并修复任何损伤。 但是不能保证它不会退缩。凯蒂（Katie）和劳拉（Laura）现在已经30多岁了，他已经接受了手术 - 凯蒂（Katie）多次接受了手术。 “我记得在我的后手术中与外科医生交谈，他使用了'不育'一词，作为一个21岁的女人，我一直想当妈妈。这真的很难听到。”凯蒂说。 两名妇女都同意这种诊断有助于验证疼痛，并最终打开了更多的门来帮助管理它，许多仍在等待。 
Endometriosis Statistics.
Infographic by Fasai Sivieng
“I just physically can’t get out of bed, I can’t move, so it’s stopped me in a lot of ways from just living,” said Edmonton’s Rose Plican. The 19-year-old NAIT student’s debilitating periods have forced her to hit pause on her studies many times. “It’s a lot of men in my class and so you are sitting there, you are dying in class — and they are like, ‘You ok? What’s going on with you?’ “How am I supposed to explain to a bunch of dudes that, like, I’m on my period I just need to go home?” Tweet This“It’s embarrassing,” she added. Rose is on a two-year waiting list to see a gynecologist and has been waiting months for a pelvic scan. “It’s an 8.5-year diagnostic delay worldwide, Canada is at 5.3 years I think that’s extraordinary,” said Carolyn Plican, Rose’s Mom, who is also a women’s health-care advocate. 
Carolyn discovered a new technology created in the U.S. and now being used in the Middle East, UK and at one clinic in Canada. It is a non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis called EndoSure that promises to take just 30 minutes. Plican was so passionate about it and helping her daughter she took her certification to use the technology. “Suddenly when you are diagnosed, you know it’s not in your head so it gives you permission to let you know you need better strategies to manage pain or you need to be on a waitlist for laparoscopy to have it excised, if it’s affecting you really badly,” said Plican. Over the past 10 years there have been huge advancements in minimally-invasive gynecological surgery, but women’s health specialists still face barriers. “We are being empowered by our patients and we are finding our voice, but unfortunately we are playing catch up in a health-care system that has always equated gynecology with obstetrics and hasn’t recognized the power of what we can offer surgically,” said Dr. Liane Belland. 
The Calgary surgeon has helped lead the charge in the field of minimally invasive and complex gynecological surgery. Her clinic can have as many as 700 new patients a year. “The way that our current surgical time allocation is, there isn’t a priority on gynecologic care, there has never been a priority on gynecologic care,” said Belland. “It’s difficult to listen to the struggles of people day in and day out — you want to help people and sometimes there are restraints, system restraints, OR waitlists.” Tweet This“Ideally you’d love to get everyone in the operating room, of course of you want everybody to afford the medical management you want to offer them, but that’s not the reality,” said Belland. Gynecologist like Dr. Belland admits stigma still can be a barrier preventing patients from reaching out for help in the first place. “A lot of people suffer in silence,” said Dr. Ari Sanders, a Calgary-based gynecological surgeon. “When women are missing school because of pain, or when they are missing work because of bleeding that’s not normal, that should not be happening,” Sanders said. Specialists said social media and support groups are helping to bring legitimacy to debilitating period pain that’s been brushed off forever as normal — something women just need to put up with. 
Women in Calgary attend a support group for endometriosis, PCOS and fibroids in March 2925.
Global News
Laura McDonald started a support group to do just that. They meet on Mondays for tea and often invite health experts to answer questions. But hearing each other’s own personal stories is proving to be therapeutic. “Endo is very isolating, navigating the medical system is isolating — so just coming together with other women who are experiencing this makes you feel less alone and pretty supported,” said Erin Ramsey, a group member. The fight to unshackle debilitating periods from societal stigma is growing steam. Change.org has numerous petitions lobbying for paid period sick days and even support with products. Some believe society as a whole has a role to play-in understanding the severity some face. “I’m hoping that workplaces, schools things like that will come around a little more to accepting woman are cyclical and we do have to work with those cycles a little more to have optimal health,” said Many LeBlanc, A women’s health practitioner. ” Women should not have to just muscle on and grin and bear it,” said Dr. Belland. Katie Leaf admits she has had to do it many times, but has found power in her own vulnerability — listening to her body and knowing when it’s ok to just rest. She wants others to know they don’t have to suffer in silence alone. 来源链接： https://globalnews.ca/news/11074941/lets-talk-about-it-period/ |
