Thread by @Ri_Science

Morning Twitter! I'm Magda Marečková, Ri Digital Intern and PhD student @UniofOxford @Ox_wrh where I study the endometrium cell-by-cell 🔬

I'm taking over @Ri_Science this morning to talk about endometriosis #endometriosisawareness

A thread (1/14)⬇️

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh Imagine you would suffer from pain that feels like razor blades inside your abdomen. It feels like being cut and burnt from within

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh You cannot go to school or work for 3-4 days. Each month. The pain really drains you, both physically and mentally. Painkillers do not help

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh You slowly stop being able to carry out your daily activities and interact with your family and friends. On top of it all, your periods are so heavy, that it becomes challenging to be away from home

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh This is the way 1 in 10 women feels for around 7.5 years before they hear the word ENDOMETRIOSIS for the first time.

Endometriosis?

#thisisendometriosis - see Georgie Wileman’s work documenting the physical and emotional drama of fighting the disease georgiewileman.com/this-is-endome…

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh Endometriosis is a gynaecological disease as common as diabetes, yet only about 20% of us have heard of it before. So what is endometriosis? You can check @EndometriosisUK for vital information and support

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK Having endometriosis means having tissue that resembles the one of the lining of the womb, the endometrium, outside of the womb. The endometriosis tissue attaches to the lining of the abdomen and organs inside the belly, forming the so-called lesions

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK The lesions respond to hormones across the menstrual cycle - they grow, shed and bleed, just like the endometrium does. But the shed lesion tissue can't get out of the belly, it is trapped there and causes inflammation. The result? Excruciating pain

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK (the two GIFs above are from this video wb.md/2XeAx9e)

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK Unfortunately, endometriosis is poorly understood. We do not know what causes it, the only way to confidently diagnose endometriosis is by performing an invasive surgery, and currently there is no cure either. The treatment is also limited

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK What is available? Hormonal drugs with many side-effects and repeated surgeries to remove the endometriosis tissue. A non-invasive way of diagnosing endometriosis and non-hormonal treatment options are urgently needed to reduce the suffering of many women #thisisendometriosis

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK More endometriosis awareness, research and funding is needed. Improved knowledge = improved chances of diagnosing endometriosis early on and patients receiving better treatment. Many researchers around the globe are working on understanding endometriosis

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK I have written an article about my project which studies the endometrium cell-by-cell shortlisted for the @The_MRC #MaxP19 science writing award. You can read a blog post about it here rigb.org/blog/2019/nove…

@UniofOxford @Ox_wrh @EndometriosisUK @The_MRC For more information about endometriosis, visit the @EndometriosisUK website and watch this brilliant @BBC video about people who live with endometriosis. And please help spread the word about endometriosis!

endometriosis-uk.org

bbc.co.uk/news/video_and…