Latifa Hospital and Bayer HealthCare Organize Endometriosis Awareness Campaign

• Over 100,000 Women in UAE suffer from Endometriosis
• Campaign in line with International Endometriosis Awareness month which takes place in March every year

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 16, 2014:  In line with the global endometriosis awareness month which takes place in March every year, Latifa Hospital and Bayer HealthCare organised today an Endometriosis Awareness Campaign which was held at Latifa Hospital.

The campaign is in line with the global awareness campaign "No More Pain" that is taking place in March this year.

Endometriosis is a disease that affects 5 to 10 per cent of the female population, it significantly impacts the daily life of a woman, it is a painful disease and often affects women during the reproductive years of their life, therefore awareness as well as education about the need for early intervention is essential.

Over 100,000 women in the UAE suffer from Endometriosis. This event aims to raise awareness and educate more women in the country on the disease, its impact and the different treatment options.

Dr Muna Tahlak, Head of Gynaecology at Latifa Hospital said: “Early detection, especially amongst adolescents, can help prevent future complications of infertility. This chronic disease has no definite  cure not does it have a definite cause. Thus it is called as “cancer-like” disease. Early knowledge of the symptoms can help provide necessary guidelines for patients to prevent further complications and unnecessary surgeries. Therefore we urge women to be proactive, recognise signs and symptoms of the disease and seek immediate medical intervention.”

Tahlak said Latifa Hospital has the first-of-its-kind dedicated Endometriosis clinic in the UAE, which was inaugurated in September 2012, and on an average, so far the clinic sees six patients per week and has performed 145 surgeries. She added that surgery is the last resort and therefore early detection is vital for better outcomes.

Dr Ghassan Lotfi, Consultant gynaecologist at Latifa Hospital said: “ The aim of this initiative is to educate women to come forward as soon as they experience the signs and symptoms of the disease. Prolonging treatment, particularly during the reproductive years of a woman is detrimental to the woman’s health and her ability to conceive.”

During the awareness campaign in Latifa hospital, medical professionals will distribute questionnaires to help them identify if they have any of the Endometriosis symptoms. In case any of the participating women discover they may potentially have Endometriosis, they will be provided with information and a free phone consultation with Endometriosis experts at Latifa Hospital. Lotfi added that the hospital is in the process of forming an Endometriosis support group to provide medical, emotional and psychological support to patients with this disease.

Dr Bassem Abdallah, Gulf Country Division Head, Bayer HealthCare said: "We are always keen at Bayer HealthCare on enhancing women and families' health at large, and its from this aspect that our interest on generating maximum awareness on this disease, its impact and treatment options stem out. The company is committed to continuing its research and development options for treatments of diseases that affect women all over the world."

A march in solidarity with the international "Million Woman March" also took place at Latifa Hospital and coincides with a march taking place across 53 different countries around the world starting from Washington D.C.

For more details on the Global Endometriosis Awareness Campaign please visit: www.millionwomenmarch2014.org or www.endometriosisuae.com.