How To Explain Endometriosis To Your Daughter

One of the most common problems doctors have when informing a young girl about having a condition like endometriosis is explaining it in a way that she will understand. In the first place, if it happens within a few years after she gets her menstruation, then she has barely had time to adjust to being a woman in the medical sense.

If this is the situation you find yourself in, and you have to help your daughter understand the pain, and that it is nor a normal situation, aside from letting her read more about this condition, you could let her join a support group, or talk to other young women in similar situations.

Here are some other bits of trivia and useful information you can give her.

First of all, there was nothing she could have done to prevent endometriosis, even if she was eating a lot of red meat, junk food, or even milk. These are some of the food that can aggravate endometriosis, but they do not cause it. This condition just happens without us knowing why. It can happen to any woman regardless of race.

Endometriosis is also a condition of the female reproductive system but it is not a sexually transmitted disease or STD. Some young women may be worried because if they engage in sexual activity, they could suffer from some form of pain. Generally, the pain comes not from any other disorder, but from the location of the endometrial tissue which should only be found inside the uterus, but in endometriosis, it is found in other parts of the body. If it is found inside the ovaries, it can grow into a cyst, which should be removed, surgically if necessary.

The pain you feel, most often is manageable, and can be relieved with pain relievers and other drugs. The treatment will be personalized based on the reaction to the drugs, so it may take a little while before the doctor can get it down right.

However, you should not assume that all pain you feel is to be expected. For instance, if the pain is constant, and you are unable to cope with the activities of the day, and are constantly absent from school or work, then this is not considered chronic pain, and you should talk to the doctor as soon as possible. He can recommend a different drug, as well as additional treatment methods like supplements and even herbal.

You should also ask you daughter to have a journal of her pain incidents and intensity which she can show to her doctor every time she visits. It is the most accurate recording anyone could have, and it will help a great deal in treating her condition. You can use numbers to describe the pain like 10 for intense and unbearable to 1 for mild and negligible. Ask her to include the location of the pain, as well as a note on how long it lasted. There are even different kinds of pain that she can feel like sharp, aching, cramps or continuous, dull, or burning.

Finally, seek the help of an doctor experienced with dealing with this kind of situation with young women suffering from endometriosis. Their knowledge and exposure will be a great advantage.