Sliding Under the Radar

Many people have never heard about Endometriosis. Many couldn’t even tell you what it is. Many cannot pronounce a simple word. With so many people having it there are common signs all doctors should know. Unfortunately, it is not. Endometriosis requires a particular skill to find. It can be different colors and in odd places.

Dr. Tamer Seckin, MD is one of the founders of Endometriosis Foundation of America. He is a certified laparoscopic surgery specialist for endometriosis. In his book, “The Doctor Will See You Now: Recognizing and Treating Endometriosis” he explains that doctors like to rule out other things before properly diagnosing a patient. However, these lead to a misdiagnosis of many people.

This causes endo to slide under the radar and get misdiagnosed for so long. There have been cases where people have the proper surgery and still get told they do not have it. These people are then sent to get help and being called crazy when that is not the case at all.

With these combined things, it makes it take years for a diagnosis. It is a complex chronic illness that requires a lot of attention to details. If doctors are only paying attention to the small things or not believing their patients then it takes that 7–10 years on average for a diagnosis.