Endometriosis affects between 10 to 15% of women of fertile age, but is often underdiagnosed or late diagnosed, due to the tendency to undervalue the pain and discomfort caused, mostly during menstruation. The topic was recently in focus in an episode of the TV series Histórias Clínicas , on Channel S+ (Saúde Mais) , which is hosted on Mondays by Patrícia Isidro Amaral , Hospital da Luz physician, on themes of her specialty, Gynaecology-Obstetrics. The episode of November 18 counted with the participation in studio of Filipa Osório (Hospital da Luz gynaecologist, specialist in minimally invasive surgery in patients with endometriosis, uterine fibroids and benign pathology) and reportages at Hospital da Luz Lisboa with Inês Reis (gynaecologist-obstetrician also performing gynaecology echography) and Adalgisa Guerra (radiologist responsible for the unit of urogenital imaging). And also including statements from patients. Endometriosis is a chronic disease, where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is formed outside the uterus. Before the prescription of complementary diagnostic exams, stressed Filipa Osório, “ it is fundamental for the physician to know the story of these women ”. Since the clinical case of a woman with endometriosis “is not the same” to any other woman and the manifestations and consequences of the disease “are different and have to be interpreted in the light of other factors”, she added. Gynaecologic echography is the complementary diagnostic exam that should be primarily made, by women with symptoms of endometriosis, and afterwards magnetic resonance , which allows to better characterize the lesions. The treatments to be applied “depend on the goals of each woman” and her age (whether she intends to get pregnant or not, for instance), one of them being hormonal therapy. TV series Histórias Clínicas on endometriosis
