Press Date: 03/09/2009
Reported by: WBNS-10TV, March 9, 2009
One-third of women will undergo a hysterectomy by the time they are 60.
An estimated 600,000 American women have the procedure each year.
Angela Machado has endometriosis. Bits of the tissue that line her uterus broke off and lodged elsewhere in her body, causing scarring, possible infertility and excruciating pain.
"I had some pain that would actually make me pass out," said Machado. "I actually hit a sink passing out, hitting my head."
"In the past, if your daughter grew up and had painful periods, you said, 'Suck it up.' Take some aspirin,'" said Doctors Hospital Gynecologist James Perez.
Dr. Perez said that as doctors learned more about it, they tried other approaches.
"For many years, continuous birth control pills have been a mainstay of treatment of endometriosis," said Perez.
It worked a short time for Machado. Doctors tried other medicine and then surgery to peel away diseased tissue. It works for some women, but not all. That is one of the puzzles about the disease.
Doctors are learning more about the mystery. New research indicates that dioxins may play a role along with heredity.
Machado's mother and sister both have it. As a last result, she will have a hysterectomy. Machado knows that means no more children, but it also means no more pain.
"To get rid of the pain is going to be worth it," said Machado.
