Janet Mbugua Shares Her Experience With Painful, Prolonged Periods

Celebrated media personality has come out to share her battle with endometriosis since her high school days.

In a series on Instagram posts, the former Citizen TV news presenter said that she suffered from extremely painful and prolonged menses that made her skip school days and even work.

According to Janet, getting a diagnosis for the condition was such a breakthrough for her. She was thereafter put on birth control and has continued using it to date.

“In 2005, I had just undergone a laparoscopy for deep ovarian endometriosis, also known as endometriomas or ovarian cysts. It causes the formation of cavities within the ovary that fill with blood. It had been years, literally since high school, of painful, prolonged periods that sometimes rendered me unable to go to class or to the office, especially during the first few days of my cycle,” said Janet.

Adding, “Finally getting a diagnosis was such a breakthrough and I was put on birth control thereafter and have had to continue using this, except for the times we were trying for a baby.”

Janet, who is actively raising awareness about endometriosis, advises ladies that painful prolonged periods are not normal.

“Until today, if I don’t take my medication, I’ll struggle during my period. Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years (i.e. usually between the ages of 15 to 49), which is approximately 176 million women in the world…Let’s talk periods and most importantly, let’s talk period pain. Because ladies (and gents), a very painful, prolonged period is NOT normal,” she remarked.

Janet Mbugua further invited willing participants to an event dubbed SpreadTheYellow at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi on Saturday, March 30th, 2019 as Kenya joins the world to mark the 6th Annual Worldwide Endometriosis March (EndoMarch).

 

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#3DaysOfYellow Day 3 – It’s been incredible hearing your stories of surviving #endometriosis. That so many young women experience it is a sad reality, but there’s a lot being done to raise awareness, particularly through @endofoundke. The Endometriosis Foundation of Kenya works to raise awareness and provide meaningful care for girls, women and families in Kenya who suffer as a result of endometriosis. We work to achieve the following objectives: • To raise awareness & improve knowledge of the prevalence and the management of endometriosis in Kenya. • To improve society’s understanding of, and support for women suffering from endometriosis. • To influence Governments’ policy in Kenya on the management of endometriosis. • To help women access affordable treatment options in Kenya. A general lack of awareness of Endometriosis combined with a “normalization” of symptoms results in a significant delay from when a woman first experiences symptoms until she eventually is diagnosed and treated. The Foundation was launched as a platform for women to come together and have real conversations about the disease, medical interventions & natural options for easing the effects of the symptoms. We engage in conversations to raise awareness of the disease through social media as a build up to World Endometriosis Day/Awareness month in March of every year. On Saturday March 30th, 2019 Kenya will be joining the global efforts to raise awareness of this condition at an event dubbed #SpreadTheYellow. The event will run from 10am – 2pm at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Please be there to learn as well as lend your support. In the meantime here’s a few images of #endowarriors and some of you who tagged me in solidarity with women going through endometriosis. #PeriodConversations #MenstruationMatters #EndometriosisMonth #YellowForEndometriosis (Art in my first pic by @jackson_forreal) Edit: tag an #endowarrior here!

A post shared by Janet Mbugua (@officialjanetmbugua) on Mar 26, 2019 at 9:07pm PDT

Endometriosis is an incurable but manageable gynaecological condition.

Symptoms are generally present during the reproductive years and the pain and other symptoms can affect different areas of life, including the ability to work, medical care costs, and difficulty maintaining relationships.

Symptoms of endometriosis include:

Severe menstrual cramps

Long-term lower-back and pelvic pain

Periods lasting longer than 7 days

Heavy menstrual bleeding where the pad or tampon needs changing every 1 to 2 hours

Bowel and urinary problems including pain, diarrhoea, constipation, and bloating

Bloody stool or urine

Nausea and vomiting

Fatigue

Pain during intercourse

Spotting or bleeding between periods