JOHOR BARU: Some 350,000 women in Malaysia are affected by endometriosis, and treatment is usually aimed at controlling symptoms and improving quality of life.
Presently there is no known cure for endometriosis and the lackadaisical attitude is mainly due to a lack of awareness.
Endometriosis Association of Malaysia (MyEndosis) medical adviser Dr Sharifah Halimah Jaafar said endometriosis, a disease where tissue such as the uterus lining grows outside the uterus, causing pain and infertility, affects roughly 10 per cent (190 million) of reproductive-age women and girls globally.
She said it is a chronic disease associated with severe life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea and fatigue, leading to depression, anxiety and infertility.
Dr Sharifah Halimah, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Regency Specialist Hospital, said that because it is a gender-related problem, it is often dismissed as a "women's problem".
"It is often considered a normal and trivial problem regardless of whether the pain disrupts the quality of life," she said.
She said many employers believe that since women can bear the pain of childbirth, all women should take menstrual pain even though it is pathological.
Dr Sharifah Halimah said minimal attention has been paid to the relationship between employment and women's reproductive health, especially regarding stigmatised topics like endometriosis.
"Women coping with endometriosis symptoms lost between one and eight hours of weekly productivity due to either presenteeism (working without productivity) or absenteeism (missing work)," she said.
She pointed out most women choose not to disclose their predicament to their colleagues or employer for fear of being accused of "being lazy" or being seen as weak or overdramatic.
Dr Sharifah Halimah said the underlying cause may be due to hormones in the body and it may happen at any age quite common between the ages of 25 and 40, which is the most productive years of work.
She said a seminar will be held at the end of next month to create awareness about endometriosis affecting women in the workforce and their productivity.
She said those participating will learn how endometriosis reduces productivity and interest among the workforce as well as get insights on how human resource managers can support women in chronic pain.
The seminar, titled "Endometriosis: A HR Matter", is organised by Gleneagles Hospital Medini Johor in collaboration with MyEndosis and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and will be held on March 31 at Holiday Inn Johor Baru from 2-5pm.
Participation in the half-day seminar is free and the organisers are targeting human resource practitioners and other professionals in the workplace.
Among the speakers at the seminar is Dr Abdul Kadir Abu Bakar, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Hospital Medini, Johor.
He will speak on "Effect chronic pain on mental health among working women with endometriosis".
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr Ng Beng Kwang, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, will talk on "Endometriosis impact on women's health & productivity."
Dr Sharifah Halimah herself will touch on "Break the myth on endometriosis at the workplace" and Myendosis president Surita Mogan will speak on "Challenges faced by women with endometriosis at the workplace".
Gleneagles Hospital Medini chief executive officer Dr Kamal Amzan will deliver the welcome address.
The seminar will end with a question-and-answer session where participants can put forth relevant questions for the speakers to respond.
Those wanting to attend the seminar may call Michelle Teoh at 013-7522168 or Khairul Annuar at 012-6362773 for reservation.