UPDATE:
Reader’s Digest made good on their promise and completely re-wrote the article with sources from myself and numerous other advocates after we launched a social media campaign and wrote to the publisher. You can read it here: https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/endometriosis-surprising-facts/
The last few months, we’ve seen a wide variety of publications continue to publish and broadcast erroneous information about endometriosis. Reader’s Digest, who even after speaking to a well-known endometriosis advocate, proceeded to quote a bunch of fertility doctors and purport that pregnancy would give women with endo both physical and emotional relief. After escalating the erroneous facts up to the publisher of Trusted Brand Media, Bonnie Knitzer, they promised to remove and re-report it. The reporter then proceeded to ask myself and other endo advocates to edit the article for her! We also provides her with sources, and clinical info. But still no new re-written accurate article 🙁
A local ABC affiliate in Fresno who gave the PR rep from a hospital an actual byline on their site, did not mark it as advertorial, and then proceed to air a puff piece about a “new” surgery that doesn’t leave any scars.
The Scientific American, wrote a feature length piece using the old “wandering womb” definition right up front in the lede.
I would be hard pressed to think of any other topic where, when you write to the editor with a fact check, they don’t correct the facts. From my experience most publications, upon presentation of facts, apologize and change the article quite quickly. For some reason, it’s a fight with endometriosis and media outlets push back hard.
Why does this matter you are asking?
For centuries, misinformation in the form of myth, informed by cultural systems that present white males as the “standard” or “norm” of physicality, means that women’s bodies are “the other”. So everything a woman’s body does that is different from a man’s – is not “normal”. The lack of research on female bodies covers everything from medication side effects to endometriosis “treatment” and is ever more well documented.
Every time a myth is purported in the media, it opens millions of women up for the potential for physical harm. It doesn’t matter of you have endo, rheumatoid arthritis or are giving birth – the lack of actual evidence-based information about women’s bodies, has the potential to physically harm women. And so if you have a female body, or love someone who does, this is why it matters.
That is why it is so wonderful when media gets it right. Prevention Magazine issued a special report in the June Issue covering clinical gender bias – and with the simple use of these two words “similar to” – got the definition of endometriosis right. Something the Mayo Clinic has not even been able to do.
“endometriosis, (a disorder in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus)”
I was proud to be included in their print feature, along with Katie Ernst who writes the blog, MissTreated, and Ally Niemiec who writes about her chronic illness on Medium. Special thanks to Ken Miller, the writer on this piece who fought for the right definition.
You can read the entire article here: How Health Care Fails Women – Prevention Magazine – June 2018.
If you feel like reaching out to any of the above media outlets, let me know and I’ll give you their email addresses.