Sonia Shannon, a UK mother recently revealed that the NHS (National Health Service) ignored her ‘intense pelvic pain’ as severe menstrual cramps, until she received her deep infiltrating endometriosis diagnosis during a 2015 medical emergency.As a 13-year-old girl, Sonia, now 35, developed severe pain which caused her to faint multiple times during her menstrual periods, but medical staff dismissed her symptoms by prescribing her pain medication without conducting additional tests, which resulted in her condition becoming more severe. She said that this led to multiple emergency department visits and hospital admissions because of her menstrual symptoms, yet doctors were unable to find any specific medical condition. After giving birth to her daughter Skyla in 2009, she went to Colchester Hospital A&E countless times with severe pain, yet staff always said it was normal period pain, and gave her painkillers without investigation. She spent one week experiencing daily collapses before doctors diagnosed her with sepsis and two other medical conditions which included a large ovarian cyst, and deep endometriosis. (original story and pic source: PA Real Life)What this meant for SoniaThe severe condition of deep infiltrating endometriosis causes womb-like tissue to penetrate deeply into pelvic and abdominal organs, which include the ovaries, bladder, bowel and additional areas. Sonia developed liver, lung and kidney problems, because her condition remained untreated for multiple years, until it rendered her unable to move from bed, while she experienced intense pain, brain confusion and sexual discomfort with her husband Ashley. She needed to undergo various surgical procedures to extract affected tissue, but her condition worsened through time which resulted in organ fusion that brought about permanent disabling symptoms, which could have been treated at an earlier stage.
Early symptoms that were ignored or dismissedSonia experienced severe menstrual pain during her teenage years which forced her to stop all her daily activities, while she also experienced excessive bleeding and frequent fainting spells that are typical endometriosis symptoms, but doctors commonly dismiss as typical menstrual problems. She also experienced worsening sexual pain and pelvic discomfort after giving birth, but doctors missed endometriosis as the diagnosis, during her multiple emergency department visits.Why diagnosis took over a decadeThe medical evidence shows that endometriosis symptoms get misidentified as typical “bad periods”, which causes UK women to experience an 8-10 year delay before receiving their diagnosis, because their doctors lack understanding about the condition and women face discrimination, because of their menstrual discomfort. The organization Endometriosis UK states that 47% of patients need to visit their GP at least 10 times before doctors start to suspect their condition and 74% of patients experience dismissal from their doctors, who only provide pain medication without exploring endometriosis as a possible cause. The NICE guidelines state that Endometriosis evaluation should be conducted for patients who have persistent pelvic pain or severe menstrual cramps, but healthcare providers do not make proper referrals because they encounter NHS system obstacles and insufficient time.
Health impact of delayed endometriosis careThe absence of treatment for Sonia’s endometriosis condition allows tissue to develop scars, while it becomes inflamed and causes organs to stick together , which increases her chances of developing cysts, infertility, bowel obstruction and sepsis as she did. The development of chronic pain results in fatigue, depression, work loss and relationship deterioration. Studies indicate that patients who get their diagnosis through ultrasound or laparoscopy, will stop disease progression while their fertility stays intact, and they will achieve improved life quality through hormone treatment and pain management.NHS guidelines versus real-world delaysThe NICE and ESHRE guidelines direct GPs to identify endometriosis through specific symptoms which include ongoing menstrual pain, that interferes with daily activities and deep pelvic pain during sex, recurring bowel, urinary problems and difficulties getting pregnant. The guidelines recommend doctors should start with pain management treatment while sending patients to specialists for further evaluation. The results from surveys indicate that 10% of women receive early suspicions about their condition but A&E facilities conduct minimal investigations (only 2% in one research study) which results in sending patients home like Sonia.Disclaimer: This article is informational only and not a substitute for medical advice
