Doctor warns teenage girls are increasingly showing signs of endometriosis, urging early screening and egg-count testing

Doctor warns that girls as young as 14 are being diagnosed with endometriosis, urging early screening, egg-count tests and faster intervention for teens.

Teenage girls might be at risk of contracting endometriosis at much younger ages than previously thought. MD OB/GYN, Dr Thais Aliabadi, told Dr Andrew Huberman on his podcast that girls as young as 14 are struggling with this disorder.

Teen endometriosis cases rising, doctor urges early screening(Unsplash)

“I have, right now, in my practice, a girl at 14 with endometriosis whose egg count is the egg count of a 40-year-old,” Dr Aliabadi explained in the clip of the interview shared on Instagram. “I can’t sit here and generalize that if you are in your 20s, you are going to be fine. It’s not true!”

Endometriosis increasing in teens

She then went on to emphasise the need for testing to diagnose this disease at the earliest. “Every girl on this planet needs to be screened for endometriosis, for PCOS, and they need to know their egg count. Egg count, AMH (anti-mullerian hormone) is a simple blood test. It’s covered by most insurances.”

The doctor then explained how teenage girls are becoming more prone to this disorder and how she has been treating them.

“Teenagers are tricky because they have so many eggs, but if they are complaining of severe pain, if they are missing school, the nurse is calling you, they don’t want to take their test, because they are rolled up in bed from pain, that patient, even at 14, deserves an egg count check, because for these patients, sometimes by age 16, I freeze their eggs.”

What is endometriosis?

According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis is a chronic disease in which endometrium-like tissue, which is usually found in the lining of the uterus, grows outside the uterus and causes inflammation and scar tissue formation.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for this disorder, as of now, but the disease can be managed through medical intervention. Symptoms can be treated through medicines, but may also require surgery in some cases.

The disease can have debilitating effects on sufferers, as it can cause severe pain, depression, fatigue, infertility, excessive menstrual bleeding, etc. Women who suffer from infertility have a high probability of being diagnosed with this disorder.

The treatment involves medications for pain and hormonal issues. However, in serious cases, the complete removal of the uterus might be needed too. The disease is estimated to affect 10 per cent of women of reproductive age across the world. It needs to be taken very seriously.

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