My Teen Vogue article delving into why hysterectomies don’t work to manage endometriosis symptoms, and why not.
“Catherine Jackson was first recommended a full hysterectomy — complete surgical removal of her uterus and ovaries — when she was just 18 in Tampa by her college doctor. Her doctor back home in Indianapolis agreed. Catherine suffers from endometriosis — a painful, sometimes to the point of debilitating condition where cells similar to those that line the uterus can be found throughout the pelvis. “I was told [the hysterectomy] would cure me, and my pain and cysts would stop,” says Catherine.
There’s no definitive cause for endometriosis cells appearing, according to the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Cells can land on the uterosacral ligaments, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, bowels, bladder, peritoneum, appendix, and sometimes in rare cases, the diaphragm, lungs, or the brain. These cells act like little blisters, causing pain and an inflammatory reaction in the body, and can also create adhesions, meaning organs bind to one another — something endometriosis sufferer Lena Dunham has vocalized repeatedly. It’s an enigmatic condition with no definitive cure.”
Read the entire article here.