Unbearable pain during menstruation could be a warning sign

Sri Lanka is the proud host of the 9th Asian Conference on Endometriosis, a three-day conference October 28-30 organised by the Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Association of Sri Lanka in conjunction with the Asian Society for Endometriosis and Adenomyosis. 

The objective of this conference is to gain knowledge experts on the field and look at ways of improving facilities and technology required to treat these two conditions in Sri Lanka. “Globally, 5-10% women of childbearing age suffer from Endometriosis or Adenomyosis and experience various complications,” opined Prof. Hemantha Senanayake, Conference Chair and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. “The difference between Endometriosis and Adenomyosis is that during endometriosis, the cells lining the inside of the womb gets deposited outside the uterus. But in the case of adenomyosis, these cells are found within the wall of the uterus, thereby enlarging the walls.” said Prof. Senanayake.  The main feature of endometriosis is pain during menstruation. But the problem is that people try to normalise it and have a tendency to use various painkillers. This will lead to various complications and could be similar to a benign tumor. On the other hand, heavy menstrual bleeding, pain during sexual intercourse are some of the features of Adenomyosis. It could also be a reason for infertility. 

Kamanthi Wickramasinghe