Padma Lakshmi, co-founder of EFA, shared her story with the approximate 100 audience members. Ms. Lakshmi herself suffered from endometriosis since adolescence, and she was unfortunately misdiagnosed for many years. One of the primary symptoms of endometriosis, severe menstrual cramping, is often overlooked by many health care providers as one of the inevitable and unfortunate realities of womanhood. Despite the fact that she had access to top quality doctors and wonderful insurance benefits, it was years before Ms. Lakshmi was properly diagnosed and treated with endometriosis. Her main message to the audience was to consider the possibility of endometriosis, especially because early diagnose can lead to prompt treatment which prevents years of needless suffering.
Our very own Amy Stein presented the physical therapy component to endometriosis. Amy explained to the nurses and nurse practitioners that endometriosis is perceived as a threat by the pelvic floor muscles. Therefore individuals who suffer from endometriosis may experience secondary musculoskeletal related tightness, pain, and protective guarding. Individuals who fit this description would benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy to address the resulting pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.
