Obstetrics and Gynecology are two distinct medical specialities that generally deal with the female human body.

Obstetrics is concerned with caring for women and their unborn children during pregnancy and childbirth. It is also concerned with the pre-natal health of the fetus and, finally, the post-natal care of the mother.

Gynaecology deals with the functions and diseases specific to women and girls, especially those affecting the reproductive system. This would include the organs of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, and vagina.

The American Medical Centre has opened the first Endometriosis Centre in Cyprus, led by obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. Stavroulis Andreas.

EndoMarch has succeeded in raising awareness that Cyprus deserves. Many women are suffering, have delayed diagnosis and have multiple incomplete surgeries. They have neither accurate guidance nor monitored information and education to enable them to have an informed choice for their treatment, says a spokesman for the centre.

What is Endometriosis?

The primary symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, often associated with your menstrual period. Although many women experience cramping during their menstrual period, women with endometriosis typically describe menstrual pain that’s far worse than usual. They also tend to report that the pain has increased over time.

Common signs and symptoms of endometriosis may include:

-Painful periods (dysmenorrhea). Pelvic pain and cramping may begin before and extend several days into your period, and you may have lower back and abdominal pain.

-Pain with intercourse. Pain during or after sex is joint with endometriosis.

-Pain with bowel movements or urination. You’re most likely to experience these symptoms during your period.

-Excessive bleeding. You may experience occasional heavy periods (menorrhagia) or bleeding between periods (menometrorrhagia).

-Infertility. Endometriosis is first diagnosed in some women who are seeking infertility treatment.

Other symptoms. You may also experience fatigue, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating or nausea, especially during menstrual periods.

The severity of your pain isn’t necessarily a reliable indicator of the extent of the condition. Some women with mild endometriosis have extensive pain, while others with advanced endometriosis may have little or no discomfort.

Endometriosis is sometimes mistaken for other conditions that can cause pelvic pain, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or ovarian cysts. It may be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes bouts of diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal cramping. IBS can accompany endometriosis, which can complicate the diagnosis. (Source: Mayo Clinic.)

The new Endometriosis Centre consists of a dynamic multidisciplinary team providing high-quality and evidence-based care that aims to assess and treat women with all grades of endometriosis ranging from mild disease to the most severe form involving the bowel, bladder and ureters, says the spokesman.

The team includes a specialist nurse, pain specialist, bowel surgeon, urologist, gastroenterologist and a psychologist. The team is permanently on the island to look after patients throughout the years, before and after their treatment.

Dr. Stavroulis Andreas is an accredited Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon, Researcher, Lecturer and Trainer for Endoscopic and Endometriosis surgery. He trained in London and worked for 5 years at University College London Hospital, the UK's biggest Laparoscopic and Endometriosis Center. He has worked in Cyprus since October 2014 and operated in hospitals in Nicosia and Limassol for mild and complicated endometriosis cases. He has developed his team to form the Endometriosis Centre Cyprus, now housed in the American Medical Centre in Nicosia.

The centre’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art, high-quality, evidence-based and patient-centred treatment for managing all grades of endometriosis.