“It’s hard to come across as a liar”, Virginie and Marlene described their fight

Two women, two stories but a striking similarity on the difficulty of listening. Even if Marlene Sarda has the happy dark circles of a young mother, she has come a long way. At 43, she is now a mother to two-and-a-half-year-old Adrian. A near-miracle child, the result of incredible tenacity, overcoming pain and insurmountable obstacles. An obstacle course began at age 34 after an emergency operation to remove three cysts from her ovaries. The intervention was supposed to last two and a half hours, it will last six hours. “When I woke up, the doctor told me that when he opened it up, he found endometriosis everywhere and he had no choice but to remove me…

Two women, two stories but a striking similarity on the difficulty of listening. Even if Marlene Sarda has the happy dark circles of a young mother, she has come a long way. At 43, she is now a mother to two-and-a-half-year-old Adrian. A near-miracle child, the result of incredible tenacity, overcoming pain and insurmountable obstacles. An obstacle course began at age 34 after an emergency operation to remove three cysts from her ovaries. The intervention was supposed to last two and a half hours, it will last six hours. “When I woke up, the doctor told me that when he opened it, he found endometriosis everywhere and he had no choice but to remove my ovaries. » Here is Marlene Sarda under artificial menopause. She will never have children. Despite the shock of the news, relief prevails. “At that time, I especially wanted to call my family, my gynecologist, my doctor. It’s hard to believe all these years of lies. » Ending twenty years of medical wandering. The start of a new obstacle course.

Making this invisible disease visible is the whole point of speeches by Libourne residents Marlene Sarda and Virginie Maynard on World Endometriosis Day this Thursday, March 28. “We must train, we must inform,” he declares. Because there are as many forms of this disease as there are women. » If painful and heavy periods should alert you, pain during bowel movements, sexual intercourse or digestive problems are also signs.

Flawless operation

“Take Dolipren, it will go away”, “Endometriosis is the latest fashionable disease”… It was with such sentences that two Libornises had to compose. “When I was having painful periods, vomiting or passing out at 14, people said I was seeking attention because my parents were getting divorced,” says Marlene Sarda. At Virginie Maynard, her gynecologist “definitely” refers to polycystic ovaries, the only cure for which is to take the pill starting at age 15. After a pregnancy at age 25, she tried switching to an IUD. “It was hell. Pain similar to childbirth and permanent fatigue. » Around 30 years old, scandals around pills 3^E

and 4^E Generations again encourages her to talk to her gynecologist. The answer remains unchanged: take a pill. Revolt around 38/40 years. New effort, new pain.

“I finally tell myself, I’m not crazy, it’s not in my head, because we suspect”

Meanwhile, Virginie Maynard learns that her sister has endometriosis. She discussed the topic of her pain with her GP, not her gynaecologist. “She told me ‘we will do everything we need to do, starting with a pelvic MRI’. » The results indicate something. They are sent to the multidisciplinary Franco-European Institute of Endometriosis (Ifem-Endo) located at the Tivoli Clinic in Bordeaux. Three weeks later, the visit is made. And there is recognition. Doctor Thomas Dennis first begins the operation to remove his guilt. “He tells me that the pain is not normal. He explains everything to me. I say to myself, Finally, ‘I’m not crazy, it’s not in my head’, because we suspect. » She will continue taking the pill for a year. Until one day it is no longer enough. “Since I was already a mother, they had to remove my uterus. offered. » The intervention took place on November 23, 2023, followed by physiotherapy sessions to relearn how to urinate and defecate. “Four months later, I am still not declaring victory, but 80% of my problems have disappeared. is done »

inflammatory disease

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease. “It comes from the rules. When fertilization doesn’t happen, the endometrium disintegrates and is emptied. In affected people, it doesn’t empty and it migrates. It spreads, sticks, bladder, rectum, lungs. Moves towards… This leads to inflammation,” describes Marlene Sarda, who has become the representative of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Endofrance. On a daily basis, everything becomes complicated. Not only in married life. “Work colleagues don’t understand our absence, family understands even less, especially when doctors say there is nothing wrong. We also ask ourselves questions about our feelings. »

Marlene Sarada almost had a hysterectomy. “Before taking the decision, I went to an EndoFrance meeting where I was advised not to do anything. » She will eventually be approached by D^R Horace Roman, then established in Grenoble. The specialist offered to operate on her without removing her uterus. A six-hour operation in which a piece of intestine, part of the vagina and rectum was removed, a probe was installed in his kidney and his lungs were implanted. It is 2014. “I really had endometriosis everywhere. It was heavy, but it saved my life. Especially morally because it gives me hope to be a mother and not suffer anymore. » After three unsuccessful IVFs (in vitro fertilization) in France were stopped due to her illness, she heard about egg donation. After deportation to Spain and 12,000 euros, she gave birth to a beautiful baby weighing 3.6 kg on December 3, 2021, after three attempts. » The long awaited operation is now scheduled for April 2024.

More information on the website www.endofrance.org