The Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria, ESGN, has announced the first-ever National Dysmenorrhea  Survey for secondary school girls in Nigeria

Ajayi, who is the Medical Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Abuja and Asaba, noted that preliminary results of the survey were useful.

“It is meant to be nationwide, but we are starting in Lagos and there are about 30,000 secondary school students targeted. We have adopted a quantitative approach and  developed a plan for carrying out the survey on a quarterly basis (every three months)

On the relevance of the survey, Ajayi said scientific evidence existed that many young women and girls that often develop endometriosis, first experience painful periods.

“The fastest way to check if a woman or young girl has endometriosis is from when her period starts and all the drama around the period,  so if we know the prevalence and we are able to measure and check across the country and to have better data and statistics to work with, then we will be in position to diagnose and manage it better.”

Endometriosis is a medical condition where the kind of tissue that usually lines the womb also grows in other parts of the body. These “growths” are called endometrial implants and may be small or larger in size. Like the lining of the womb, they build up and are shed every month.

Source: Vanguard