Tia Mowry started acting with her older sister, Tamera from an early age. When they were 12, it only took a month for them to get their first acting roles. However, most people know them for playing the Landry twins on the television show, ‘Sister, Sister’, where they played twins who had been separated at birth. Over time, they went on to star in other roles where they played twins. As they got older, though, Tia pursued more acting roles on her own. These include the television show, ‘The Game’ and movies like ‘The Hot Chick’.
Another thing Tia didn’t get to share with her sister is her endometriosis diagnosis. While she suffered from the symptoms for years in her 20s, it took years for her to get an official diagnosis.
In her interview with ‘Prevention’, she shared her frustration with not being believed about her issues even though the gynecologist who finally diagnosed her said she was “a textbook case.”
Fortunately, she started treatment and has gone on to have two children she never thought she would.
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RELATED: Tia Mowry’s Best Medicine For Endometriosis Is Food #BDOBookshelf
What Is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that is usually inside the uterus grows in other areas of the reproductive system. This errant tissue is a problem because it responds to the hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle in the same way that normal endometrial tissue does.
As you menstruate, the abnormal tissue will expand and bleed, causing pain and irritation wherever it’s located.
While endometriosis typically affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic lining, and outer surface of the uterus, there are cases where you can have issues in the bladder, cervix, vulva, and intestines.
If you have endometriosis, a few of the symptoms you can experience are fatigue, bloating, constipation, painful periods, and pain during sex.
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Some people also have trouble with infertility.
The disease is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 40 but can occur earlier or later. Black women, in particular, have been found to have a higher risk of developing endometriosis.
Other risk factors for developing the illness include a family history of endometriosis, menstruating at an early age, and having your first child after the age of 30.
How The Condition Is Diagnosed
Diagnosing endometriosis can happen in stages. It starts with your doctor conducting a physical examination and asking detailed questions about your symptoms. Imaging tests such as an ultrasound, a CT scan, or an MRI scan can also be helpful to confirm the presence, size, and location of the abnormal tissue. A diagnosis is only considered official, however, after the doctor does a laparoscopy and biopsies the tissue that is recovered.
All these diagnostic tools will be helpful to determine the stage of the disease. A stage is based on where the tissue is located, its depth, how much of the tissue there is, its size, and how deeply it’s embedded in your body.
For example, in the first or minimal stage, growths are typically small and few in number. The tissue may be found on your organs or the tissue lining your pelvis or abdomen and there’s little to no scar tissue.
By comparison, the fourth or severe stage means that the tissue is widespread, including deeply implanted tissue and thick adhesions. There may also be large cysts on one or both ovaries.
Additionally, the affected area of the pelvis or abdomen will be used to determine the type of endometriosis you have. The four options are superficial peritoneal endometriosis, endometriomas, deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), and abdominal wall endometriosis. Both the type and stage will be used to identify an appropriate treatment regimen for you.
How Endometriosis Is Treated
Typically, your doctor will start with conservative treatment options such as pain medication and hormone therapy. Painkillers such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help manage your pain while hormone therapy drugs like contraceptives are meant to control hormonal fluctuations. If these methods aren’t effective, surgery is usually the next consideration. Fortunately, there are conservative possibilities for those who are still interested in having children.
In laparoscopic surgery, a surgeon uses a small device to remove the abnormal endometrial tissue. This procedure may need to be repeated as the tissue can regrow. If your symptoms are severe, however, your doctor may recommend having a hysterectomy. One option includes removing only the ovaries, which would result in menopause. The other option is a complete hysterectomy which removes the uterus as well.
It’s estimated that up to 10% of Americans are dealing with endometriosis but many Black women are either misdiagnosed or don’t get diagnosed at an early stage. If you’re having symptoms of the illness, it’s important to see your doctor as soon as possible.
