Endometriosis In Teens

Is your teen experiencing killer cramps? Then it is time you got her checked for endometriosis advises DORIS MURIMI, the Programme Director of Endo Sisters East Africa.

- Doris Murimi

Adolescence is an exciting though emotional and stressful time for teenagers. For girls, it is a time marked with a lot of physical, psychological and social changes. Though most girls look forward to this transformational period in their lives, a few will experience traumatising pain. It is true that not every girl will find this process physically painful, but one cannot understate the importance of psychologically preparing girls for this transitional time in their lives so that they are better placed to take responsibility for their health. The genesis of women empowerment begins by empowering young girls to understand the changes going on in their bodies, question, and raise concerns when they discern that something may be wrong without fear of shame or condemnation.

UNDERSTANDING MENSTRUAL CRAMPS

Most girls start their periods from as early as 9 years old and this may be accompanied by menstrual pain also known as dysmenorrhea. Menstrual pain is grouped into two. Namely, primary dysmenorrhea which is the common menstrual cramps and secondary dysmenorrhea which is pain caused by a disorder in the reproductive organs. Symptoms of primary dysmenorrheal include cramping in the lower abdomen, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, sweating or dizziness. Secondary dysmenorrhea is managed by treating the underlying disorder and that is why it is so important to establish whether the cause of pain for the adolescent is as a result of primary or secondary dysmenorrhea. The most common cause of secondary dysmenorrhea in adolescents is endometriosis.