Endometriosis
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a chronic condition that has reproductive and health consequences. A great number of Black women are affected by endometriosis. The Endometriosis Association suggests that endometriosis, which is symptomatically characterized by pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, infertility, and abnormal vaginal bleeding, has often been misdiagnosed in black women as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) a sexually transmitted disease.
Endometriosis is the abnormal growth of cells (endometrial cells) similar to those that form the inside of the uterus, but in a location outside of the uterus. Endometrial cells are cells that are shed each month during menstruation. In endometriosis, endometrial cells attach themselves to tissue outside the uterus and are called endometriosis implants. These implants are most commonly found on the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, outer surfaces of the uterus or intestines, and on the surface lining of the pelvic cavity. They can also be found in the vagina, cervix, and bladder, although less commonly than other locations in the pelvis.
Endometriosis is most likely to affect you if you are in your reproductive years. Most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed if you are aged 25-35 years old. However, endometriosis has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age.
A study by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that 40% African American women who were told they had PID in reality had endometriosis.
Endometriosis is also among the leading causes of infertility in Black women (NIH, DHHS, CDC, NIAID).
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