29 Mar 2020

The 5th annual Endometriosis awareness walk that was billed for March 28 in Maun has been postponed in a bid to fight the possible spread of the coronavirus.

The Botswana Endometriosis Foundation founder, Ms Kgomotso Mpho Gagosi said in an interview that the plan was to hold the annual endometriosis awareness walk outside Gaborone for the first time.

She said the aim was to raise awareness on endometriosis, a disease that had infertility implications on women, to the rest of the country.

The planned awareness walk would have started with sensitiing learners in schools and people at clinics around Maun a week earlier.

Ms Gagosi  said the Maun awareness walk would be held as soon as the COVID-19 subsided.

She explained  that the Botswana Endometriosis Foundation was birthed about four years ago following her diagnosis with the disease.

She said that it took her long to understand her medical condition hence she initially formed a support group with other women with a similar condition which later led to the formation of the foundation.

“I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2008 after the birth of my child in 2007,” she said.

Endometriosis, she said was a very painful condition with a similar tissue to the endometrial tissue which normally lines the inside of the womb growing outside the womb in different body parts such as ovaries, bladder and even the brain.

She said symptoms included back pains, including pains when urinating and pains during bowel movement. “Endometriosis is found in one in every ten women according to statistics,” she said.

Ms Gagosi observed that the challenge with endometriosis was diagnosing which could only be done through laparoscopy.

She said the other challenge was that symptoms were similar with other medical conditions and that the cause was unknown with no cure but treatment only. ENDS