Life vs Endo

I WAS LOOKING UP "fertility" in one of my endometriosis books, and there was nothing to be found.
       Then I realised why and I flipped from F to I. There it was: "infertility"; because that is the issue with endo, after all.
       I have been fielding questions about infertility from acquaintances who've been viewing my posts. Why haven't you written about it yet? Is it because you never wanted children yourself? How come you did not list it as one of the things to look for as a sign that you might have endo?
       In my defence, there is A LOT I haven't written about endo yet. There is so very much ground to cover; that's why I am doing a blog and not just an article or two in a newspaper, as has been done in this country of mine.
       Truthfully, no, I never planned on having children of my own; but I love them, and I love them for people who want to have them and plan on taking tender loving care of them. Which my saying that does not quite capture the depth of my feeling for children and parents. I'm not dismissing infertility resulting from endo. I wanted to get there in the right way, rather than "rush de brush" as we say here.

Taking time to try

       As to not listing it as a symptom, remember I was compiling a list that any female could look at and draw comparison with what she is experiencing.
       The fact is that many infertile women with endo experienced debilitating painful periods as teenagers. It was endo then, too, causing that. But what teenager thinks about infertility? So if she looks at a list of symptoms and sees what she knows she's going through, maybe she could get help against endo in her youth to help minimise any chance of it affecting her ability to bear children later in her life.

       Add to that, there are women who have had children and have endo. I know for a fact that there are women who will look at infertility as a symptom and decide, "Well it can't be endometriosis I have."
       I wanted to lay out a list that hit at the early issues of this disease, to help women get in front of it. Infertility is, shall we say, a latter-development issue, following on the heels of things we take for granted with our menstruation: like heavy bleeding, intense cramps, headaches, et al.
       Many women do actually only find out they have endo when they've failed to get pregnant over a space of time. Then their medical investigations reveal what the problem is. Imagine if they had considered the earlier, "everyday" hardships associated with endo, that surely had been rearing their ugly heads for years.

Hoping for real help

       Listen, I'm a former journalist and an informationophile. I know that infertility is the second most stressful diagnosis a woman can get. The first is HIV/AIDS. And that's exactly what makes it difficult to address with words while not being able to look another woman in the eye, hold her hand, say, "I'm sorry," and promise to try to help, face-to-face.
       Those who suffer under this aspect of the disease are seeking fertile hope.
       Sometimes helping fix the "minor" problems surrounding the really huge one ends up fixing that as well ... without all the fear, dread, despair and negativity that serve as counter-productive weights when just trying to take on the Goliath head on.
       I had to write this piece to assure you sistuhs out there that I did not write about infertility so far because I don't care; but because I care so very much. I want to do the best I can by you.
       Maternal health is a human right. Preserving human rights is a life endeavour for me ... pun acknowledged.

In beauty may you walk

Photo by Janko Ferlic from Pexels

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