The founder, Endosurvivors International Foundation, Olivia Nwankudu, who made the call at an awareness program in Lagos, said endometriosis which is a disease of the female reproductive system, affects one out of 10 women and girls of reproductive age.
He regretted that there is little awarenesss about it all over the world. Quoting a report from the University of Ibadan which says that there are 100, 000 cases of endometriosis every year in Nigeria, Nwankudu said that a lot of women who have the disease would have seen different doctors before seeing a gynecologist.
“That need to stop. What we are doing right now is to start teaching adolescent girls about the symptoms of endometriosis which normally start when they start menstruating, so that they can know what is normal and what is not normal,” she added.
The reason for the lack of awareness of the disease, according to the founder is because young girls don’t know what a normal period should be like and as such if they observe abnormalities, they don’t report it.
Nwankudu said the health practitioners usually mistake the symptoms of endometriosis for another thing because the symptoms of the disease is similar to other diseases.
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