Endometriosis: Growing Awareness Quiz

Answer: John A. Sampson

John A. Sampson was a gynecologist who studied the disease and named the condition "endometriosis". He wrote down his observations based on thirteen of his patients that he found the condition in while doing abdominal surgeries. These patients all had endometriosis tissue growing in their abdomen. The name of endometriosis comes from "endo" which means inside, "metra" which means womb, and "osis" which means a disease or abnormality. Endometriosis is the condition where tissue and implants from the womb grow inside and outside the uterus causing bleeding and adhesions to other organs.

The other names listed are also important for their contributions. J. Marion Sims did not discover endometriosis but he is considered the father of gynecology, which is the study of the female reproductive system. Karl Freiherr von Rokitansky was an Austrian physicist who was one of the first that studied the condition. Daniel Shroen was another man who wrote about the condition of endometriosis. Without these men, the condition of endometriosis may have not been recognized as it is today.

Answer: Daniel Shroen

The first person to write a known detailed report about endometriosis was Daniel Shroen in 1690. Prior to 1921 there are only twenty known reports and recordings of the disease in medical writings. Karl Freiherr von Rokitansky studied a number of diseases and although endometriosis was not one of his major studies, he was also one of the first to write about the disease and its condition.

He referred to endometriosis simply as an "an andenomyoma" which is a thickening of the uterus lining, but some effects of endometriosis could not be explained.

Although he did not establish much in his research about endometriosis, his writings helped pave the way for others to study it.

Answer: The disease was widely known and most doctors considered it too common for treatment.

Women's reproductive health suffered from many attitudes against the medical treatment of it prior to the nineteenth century. It was not considered a necessary medical practice. Many of the physicians were male and methods that would have been used to examine patients were considered unorthodox by many.

The medical field did not have the technology or surgical equipment as it does today. The breakthrough of laparoscopic surgery was not available and the only way to find endometriosis was through major abdominal surgery.

Many women were dismissed by doctors and told that their concerns for their pain were crazy or "all in their head" because many physicians and people had no knowledge of the disease or its existence. Although technology and medical treatment for endometriosis has increased for the better, some women still face the issues of being misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or rejected because the disease has not received much attention to open people's understanding of it. Endometriosis is getting more attention as more and more women suffer with it today.

Answer: endometriosis is not a recognized medical condition

The symptoms of endometriosis can be very similar to ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ovarian cancer, fibroid tumors, colon cancer, and appendicitis. Endometriosis can also fail to appear on CAT scans, ultrasounds, MRIs, X-rays, and many other tests.

It cannot be seen through gynecological exams and does not manifest any outward signs of abnormalities. Most women assume that the pain they are having on menstruation cycles is normal, and many doctors do not recognize the symptoms as being a part of something serious.

As reported in 2010, the average time it took a woman to be diagnosed was 9.8 years.

Answer: True

Because endometriosis gradually grows over time, the longer the disease is left untreated the more problems occur. Left untreated, endometriosis is free to make adhesions, which are like glue, to the surrounding organs and bones. These can cause pain to the intestines, bladder, appendix, pelvis, and back bones which will cause pain during digesting, urinating, and sometimes walking. Endometriosis can cause cysts and bleeding anywhere it is located in the body.

The endometriosis tissue reacts to menstrual cycles, causing them to be more painful and heavier than normal. Over time, endometriosis can weaken the reproductive system and ovaries to the point where pregnancy is not possible or is very difficult.

Answer: penectomy

A penectomy deals with male body parts, not the female. A laparoscopy is the most common surgery used to diagnose endometriosis. A laparoscopy uses small incisions and a camera to locate and diagnose the disease. During a laparoscopy surgeons can also remove any implants or tissue that they find.

A laparotomy is a more invasive procedure that involves a larger cut in the abdomen, but is used to remove endometriosis tissue, and repair surrounding organs. However some cases are too severe and a hysterectomy can be performed.

A hysterectomy is the total removal of the female uterus. Hysterectomies are not guaranteed to prevent the disease however. Endometriosis can develop from implants that are left behind from the removal of the uterus or have been known to develop on their own even without the female reproductive system intact.

Answer: Hilary Clinton

Hilary Clinton was diagnosed with endometriosis and had a difficult time conceiving her first child Chelsea Clinton. Other famous women who have been diagnosed and faced endometriosis include Marilyn Monroe (an actress), Dolly Parton (country singer), Mary Jo Fernandez (women's tennis champion), Queen Victoria of the British Empire, Deirdre Hall (soap opera actress from "Days of Our Lives"), and Jane Overton (sports announcer).

In 2008, in the United States endometriosis affected over five million women and was the cause of 200,000 hysterectomies, and the total cost of treatments in the United States was roughly $288,000,000.

Answer: True

March was declared the National Endometriosis Awareness Month by the 107th United States Congress in 2002. Other countries that have promoted endometriosis awareness include Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Some countries celebrate it for a month, but many of them set aside one week to focus on endometriosis.

Answer: yellow

Yellow is the color of the endometriosis awareness ribbon. Because yellow has also represented other causes including support for United States troops, suicide prevention, bone cancer, and giving prisoners life, it often is not recognized for representing endometriosis.

Many people and organizations encourage people to write "endometriosis" on the front of the ribbon when using it to represent the disease to others, to avoid confusion with other causes. Although it may seem simple, promoting this disease to others results in more attention to finding a cure.

Answer: assuming that finding a cure or fighting the disease is hopeless

Never give up hope! As technology, research, and support increases, finding a cure and better treatment of the diseases is even more possible now! While it may not seem like an extreme way to promote awareness, researching to better understand the disease will help an individual to discover more ways to help those with endometriosis. Women who face endometriosis often face fears, misunderstandings, and the stress of medical procedures. Being willing to listen is one of the best things you can do for a person who faces endometriosis. Since endometriosis does not have much publicity, it does not receive much funding from governments to help with research. Donations towards organizations that help with endometriosis can help fund research that will bring the medical field closer to finding cures for this disease.