September: Endometrial Cancer Awareness Month

Of course life continues to keep me busy as I dealt with numerous deadlines.  I have an academic writing life as well so focused my energy on that the past couple weeks.  With those past behind me, I can blog again.  It does help that I am relaxing in the Santa Monica mountains outside Los Angeles as I write this post.  Sometime getting away is good for the writing soul.  In the past two weeks, I was tackling a publication deadline along with submitting presentation proposals.  I published another paper.  I was grateful to see it coming out a couple of weeks ago.  Initially, I did not know if I wanted to submit this paper to the editors.  It was due March 1, 2015.  At that time, I was realizing that the hormone therapy was not working out for me.  I had to decide the next steps.  It was a stressful time.  I was an emotional wreck and feeling so horrible constantly.  Somehow I found it inside myself to submit the paper.  I figured that it was the first draft and it was pretty decent as it was my qualifying paper for my doctorate program.  I had to pass that before I could enter the dissertation proposal stage.  It was nice to see it coming out and reflecting on what has changed since March 1, 2015.

September is here!  So is Endometrial Cancer Awareness Month.  There is one thing I want emphasize.  If you believe your menstruation symptoms are different such as heavier bleeding, blood clotting, and cramps are more painful, go get yourself checked right away!  Sadly, there are many gynecologists would would tell you it's normal and that you are getting older.  Pain prescriptions would be given.  That was my experience with my first gynecologist.  She said I needed to live with it as I was getting older and gave me Naproxen Sodium 500 mg.  I did not stop there.  I kept on fighting and looking for someone else who would take a look, namely a transvaginal  and pelvic ultrasound.  My hematologist ordered for that because she was worried I was losing a lot of blood.  I have met a good number of women in the past year who spoke of worsening menstruation symptoms but they couldn't get anyone to take a look.  I met this woman who was diagnosed with stage 4.  She didn't know.  She spoke of how she told her gynecologist that she was having pelvic pains constantly even when she was not menstruating.  Her gynecologist didn't bother to order any imaging studies.  Now she has stage 4.  Her prognosis isn't looking good and she is facing some difficult treatments down the road.   

I remember I read some articles last year that spoke of how many gynecologists are not trained sufficiently to notice potential cancer symptoms, especially in younger women.  There is an ongoing belief that "below the belt" (gynecological) cancers typically happen in older, post-menopausal women.  That was true for a long time but it's now happening to younger women.  Heck, I met a 19-year-old woman who got endometrial cancer.  It's becoming the new reality.  Gynecologists continue to tell their younger patients that they are too young to have cancer.  My gynecologist said the same thing then she was flummoxed when she had to tell me it was definitely cancer.  This needs to stop.  It's becoming a harsh reality that younger women are getting gynecological cancers.  Any unusual symptom needs to be examined thoroughly rather than telling the patients to suck it up. 

The bottom line... if you believe your menstruation symptoms are atypical, please take steps to get it checked out.  Insist on imaging studies.  Don't give up.  Advocate for yourself and your health.