March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, bringing attention to a disease that affects one in ten women and unmeasured numbers of gender-diverse people. This means that almost 2 million Canadians have endometriosis.
“Endometriosis is a condition in which the cells from inside the uterus are located in the pelvis or in the abdomen. So those cells are normally inside the uterus, but it could be outside uterus, that’s endometriosis. And it causes inflammation, it causes pain,” said Togas Tulandi, professor & chair of obstetrics and gynecology at McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
Yet despite how common it is, it can take on average seven years to diagnose — often because symptoms are first dismissed as severe menstrual cramps.
For people like Anna Gentile, that delay can mean years of living with pain in silence.
Her pain began at 14, when she got her first period. But by 21, it had worsened and spread beyond her menstrual cycle, with the symptoms lasting well into her late twenties.
“I’ve always had extremely painful periods, but like most women, I was told that that was normal, so for me, I didn’t realize that the extent and like the intensity of my pain was problematic, until later in my adulthood when my pain just completely became debilitating, and it was affecting my quality of life.”
Anna tried everything from painkillers to hormonal treatments, including birth control. But nothing eased the pain — or the toll it took on her body and mental health.
“Then I made the decision to stop taking medication and to find better solutions, and then I had a more holistic way of healing, so I hired a team. Like, I had a naturopath, a dietitian. I had a personal trainer, so I had a whole team of supporting me while I was waiting to get surgery,” said Gentile.
Tulandi added, “Patients with difficulty to conceive after trying for over a year, I think they should consult a specialist, and patients with annoying pelvic pain, and then the medical treatment doesn’t work.”
CityNews met Anna at her workplace in Montreal’s West Island — a space that’s become more than just a job. It’s where she found support, community, and a sense of healing as she continues her recovery.
“I still have flares and days where I have really bad episodes, but it’s a lot better. I would say before surgery, I had maybe three, four good days a month, and now I have at least two to three good weeks,” said Gentile
Tulandi added that patients with more complex or advanced cases may benefit from specialized care.
“At McGill University Health Center, we created a special program called EndoCares, which is now run by Dr. Zachary and Dr. Nuyen. This is a center in which patients with advanced endometriosis or difficult endometriosis could come and we’ll see them. And they’re trained in advanced surgery for endometriosis.”
