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Endometriosis, PCOS & Fibroids: Breaking the Silence

Women’s health includes complex conditions such as Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Uterine Fibroids that often overlap in symptoms and remain under-discussed due to stigma or lack of awareness.

Women’s health includes complex conditions such as Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Uterine Fibroids that often overlap in symptoms and remain under-discussed due to stigma or lack of awareness. Shedding light on these conditions is the first step toward empowerment, early detection, and improved care.

What Are These Conditions and How Common Are They?

Endometriosis
This occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during sex, and urinary or bowel discomfort. It affects around 10% of women of reproductive age globally, though actual numbers are likely higher because of diagnostic delays.

PCOS
This hormonal and metabolic disorder involves elevated androgens, irregular or absent periods, ovarian cysts, and insulin resistance. Common symptoms include acne, excessive hair growth, weight gain, and fertility challenges. Globally, it affects about 6–13% of reproductive-aged women, depending on diagnostic criteria.

Uterine Fibroids
Benign smooth-muscle tumors found in the uterus, fibroids may cause heavy or painful periods, pelvic pressure, urinary frequency, lower back pain, and sometimes infertility. Up to 70–80% of women by age 50 are affected, with about 50% showing symptoms. They are notably more common and severe in Black women.

Why These Conditions Are Often Overlooked

  • Symptom overlap: Many symptoms such as pelvic pain, heavy periods, and fertility struggles are shared across these conditions, making self-identification and diagnosis challenging.

  • High comorbidity: Endometriosis and fibroids often occur together. Studies show that women with one condition are significantly more likely to have the other.

  • Delays in diagnosis: Particularly with endometriosis, diagnostic confirmation often requires invasive procedures like laparoscopy, which leads to prolonged suffering before a diagnosis is made.

Diagnosis & Treatment at a Glance

Endometriosis
Diagnosis: Clinical signs, ultrasound or MRI for large lesions, definitive via laparoscopy
Treatment: Pain management, hormonal therapies such as contraceptives, laparoscopic surgery, fertility-focused interventions

PCOS
Diagnosis: Medical history, blood tests for hormones, ultrasound for ovarian cysts
Treatment: Lifestyle changes including diet and exercise, menstrual regulation, managing insulin resistance, fertility treatments

Fibroids
Diagnosis: Pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, MRI
Treatment: Watchful waiting, hormonal therapy, minimally invasive treatments such as uterine fibroid embolisation, or surgical removal such as myomectomy or hysterectomy

When endometriosis and fibroids coexist, addressing both simultaneously can improve outcomes. Otherwise, treating only one may leave key symptoms unresolved.

Why It Matters to Break the Silence

  • Emotional and mental health: PCOS is linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression, in addition to self-esteem challenges. Chronic pain from endometriosis or fibroids can also diminish quality of life.

  • Fertility and reproductive health: All three conditions can affect fertility directly or indirectly through pain, hormonal imbalance, or structural changes in the uterus or ovaries.

  • Underrepresentation in research and awareness: Fibroids are under-studied in African populations, despite higher prevalence rates, making local data and targeted care essential.

What You Can Do: Speak Up, Seek Support, and Act

  1. Recognize and report symptoms, even if you are unsure what it means. Your healthcare provider can start a diagnostic journey.

  2. Seek specialists. Endometriosis and fibroids may need gynecological or fertility-focused expertise, while PCOS may benefit from an endocrinologist’s care.

  3. Advocate for yourself and follow up persistently until you get answers or referrals.

  4. Prioritize mental health. Reach out to support communities, counseling, or therapy. You are not alone in this.

  5. Stay informed. Knowledge is power. Understanding your body and conditions empowers you to make the right decisions.

Conclusion

Endometriosis, PCOS, and Fibroids are common, impactful, and often silent aspects of women’s health. Bringing them into the open through conversation, shared experiences, and proactive care is how we break the silence.

At TruMD, we stand with women in acknowledging the emotional and physical complexities of these conditions. Let us honour each story, support each journey, and promote well-being, because every voice, every experience, and every woman deserves to be heard and cared for deeply.