Yellow March is awareness month about endometriosis, a chronic disease characterized by the presence of tissue similar to the endometrium outside the uterine cavity. The disease has several symptoms, especially strong menstrual cramps even outside the menstrual period, pain during and after sexual intercourse (dyspareunia), as well as fatigue and extreme tiredness, abdominal swelling, pain and/or blood in the feces and urine, among others. .
Pain relief
Each woman, according to her diagnosis, needs multidisciplinary treatment to be carried out, which may include the use of analgesics, hormonal medications, complete excision surgeries and also alternative treatments that alleviate symptoms. Among them, There is pelvic physiotherapy, a specialty that acts directly on the dysfunction of this lower abdominal region. According to Kelley Coelho, professor of the physiotherapy course at UniCesumar in Maringá, performing pelvic physiotherapy helps, above all, to relieve pain. “It is an area of the body where there are muscles and ligaments that support organs such as the bladder, uterus, intestine and responsible for urinary, fecal control and sexual function.”
She explains that the intensity of the pain varies from woman to woman, which can range from discomfort to preventing routine activities, such as a simple act of going to the bathroom. “According to the complaint, we developed an individualized treatment protocol. We use equipment, manual techniques and pelvic exercises that help with treatment. Many women are no longer able to have an active sex life or their physiological needs are compromised. Pain leads to increased anxiety which, in turn, worsens the patient’s condition. Pelvic physiotherapy is an ally in improving muscle tension, which results in symptom relief”, explains the teacher.
Electrical stimulation, according to her, aims to promote the state of analgesia, which is the reduction of the patient’s sensitivity to signs of pain, through exposure to small and painless levels of electrical current. “We can also highlight myofascial release, which provides greater relaxation of the muscles in this region, by exerting pressure on specific points of the body, in addition to other techniques such as laser, radiofrequency, biofeedback”, says Coelho, adding that improvements can already be achieved. noticed in the first sessions.
Numbers
It is estimated that 200 million girls and women are affected by endometriosis worldwide. In Brazil, the estimate is that this number is more than six million carriers. Despite the high rates, the disease is neglected and is not considered a social disease. Diagnosis is late (taking an average of 7 to 12 years), treatments through the public network are incipient or inaccessible to the vast majority and surgeries are restricted, when performed.
Lei
This year, we celebrate two years of the sanction of law 14,324/2022, which established the Day to Fight Endometriosis, on March 13th, in addition to the National Week of Preventive Education and Combating Endometriosis. The day chosen is in honor of the 1st edition of EndoMarcha in Brazil and around the world: March 13, 2014. The idea for the project arose in October 2014, when the city of Campo Grande (MS) established March 13 as Municipal Day of Fight against Endometriosis – and National Week. In 2016, the law went to state level, in Roraima, and, in 2019, the then federal deputy Daniela do Waguinho (União Brasil/RJ) spearheaded PL 3047/ 2019, which gave rise to the law.