That’s how this article covering the lack of access to excision surgery for women with endometriosis in California ends. A great article by Nadra Nittle highlighting one of the key issues for women with this disease and the clinical gender bias at play.
“Meghan Cleary of Los Angeles said she successfully appealed her insurance company to see Cook for excision surgery last year. In 2015, she had surgery to remove a uterine fibroid, and the physician detected endometriosis and ablated the lesions, she said. But Cleary, 45, still had troublesome symptoms, which included bladder infections, migraine headaches, and fatigue. But she’s enjoyed better health since visiting Cook.
Instead of intense pelvic pain, “now I have normal cramps, which I find super hilarious,” said Cleary, founder of the Bad Periods website. “Now I understand how someone could go running on their period.”
To present her case to insurer Blue Shield, Cleary said she completed a great deal of research and provided clinical documentation about her health problems from Cook and her primary care physician.
“My insurance, in the end, did the right thing,” she said.”
You can read the full article here.