The advocacy and support organization Endometriosis UK has created a new nurse-led online resource called “Endometriosis and Couples” aimed at health professionals, patients, and their partners to help raise awareness about the disease.
The resource was developed to equip nurses with the skills needed to help with a diagnosis and to find out if they have the condition themselves. It also sought to provide information based on the findings of a study about the impact of endometriosis on couples.
Endometriosis UK works to provide reliable information and a supportive community to women who live with endometriosis and their families. The new initiative was originally created for patients from a nurse’s perspective.
“While this began as something for patients, from a nurse’s point of view it’s also going to be so useful because it helps them signpost patients to the right treatment much quicker,” Wendy Norton, a senior sexual health lecturer who worked on the team that created the resource, said in a news release written by Chris Longhurst.
It quickly became a resource for nurses themselves.
“There is still so little awareness of endometriosis among nurses and health professionals, so hopefully this resource goes some way towards changing that,” Norton added. “Nursing students will find it useful during their training, but also practice nurses will have something to refer to when patients present at GP clinics.”
A new webpage and a film addressing the impact the disease can have on women and their partners were created in collaboration with De Montfort University in Leicester, U.K.
The study about endometriosis and its effects on couples found that men often struggle to provide adequate support to partners and were reluctant to seek advice.
On average, it takes about seven years to reach an accurate diagnosis for endometriosis, according to the news release. That statistic is not different among nurses, who may be suffering from symptoms but are unaware that they, too, might have endometriosis.
“Endometriosis can have a significant impact on all parts of a woman’s life,” Endometriosis UK Chief Executive Emma Cox said. “Women need information, support and understanding about all aspects of the disease, to gain a holistic approach about how best to manage and live with the condition.”
In addition to “Endometriosis and Couples,” the website also has detailed information aimed specifically at teenage girls and a series of updated “Endometriosis Facts and Figures.”