Better communicate, better train and therefore better care. This is the ambition of the national strategy for the fight against endometriosis. This inflammatory and chronic disease of the genital system is disabling, occasionally, for 2.5 million women of childbearing age, or one in 10. It is the leading cause of infertility in France.
However, for President Emmanuel Macron, this disease “is not a problem of women. It is a problem of society”. Dn a video posted on social networks on Tuesday, January 11, he announced the “launch of the first strategy to fight against endometriosis”. What does this plan contain? Franceinfo takes stock.
1What is the objective of this strategy?
Endometriosis is related to the presence of cells of uterine origin outside the uterus, which respond to hormones during menstrual cycles. Sometimes asymptomatic, the disease can also manifest itself with heavy periods and severe pain. The strategy presented by Emmanuel Macron aims to “better understand this disease and its causes, and find therapeutic treatments”. LAs knowledge about this pathology is still incomplete, in both caregivers and patients, this can lead to a diagnosis delay of seven years on average.
As early as 2019, under the aegis of the then Minister of Health, Agnès Buzyn, work had been launched to improve the care of women suffering from endometriosis. But they have been greatly slowed down by the health crisis. The mission launched on Tuesday was entrusted to LREM MEP Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, a gynecologist committed to this subject for years, in collaboration with patient associations, health professionals and researchers.
Initially expected for the end of last April, the “report proposing a national strategy against endometriosis 2022-2025” was thus returned to the Elysée on Tuesday. The Head of State retained the main proposals and announced, the same day on social networks, the launch of a national fight plan. The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, “will soon bring together a national steering committee to define the action plan and implement it with representatives of patients and professionals, and of all the ministries and sectors concerned”. This committee will hold its first meeting in mid-February.
2What measures are mentioned?
One of the three main axes of this strategy is to invest in research in order to find suitable treatments. the Head of State thus assured that resources would be released “up to the stakes”. A need already underlined by Olivier Véran when the mission was launched in the spring. “The state of knowledge on the disease is progressing little by little, in particular thanks to French specialists, but we need to go faster and confirm the leading role of French research on the subject”, he had then underlined.
The strategy should also make it possible to develop “what one could call an ‘endometriosis reflex’ with all audiences: at school, at university, at home, at the office, and even, and above all, I would say, in medical circles”, insisted Emmanuel Macron. This involves strengthening the training of health professionals in order to guarantee better recognition of symptoms and to offer appropriate care for all the women concerned. A first step forward was made with the publication of a decree, in September 2020, specifying the integration of an awareness module on the prevention of endometriosis in the training of future doctors.
As for raising the awareness of the general public and the educational and professional circles, the actions have not been specified.
3What are the avenues for improving patient care?
The last of the main objectives is to offer a diagnostic pathway that is easily identifiable for patients and accessible throughout the country, with the ambition of guaranteeing comprehensive, personalized and fair care by doctors who know the disease. For this, each region will have to “precisely identify the territorial care channels, with at least one referral and expertise center”, specified the Elysee. These regional reference centers on endometriosis will benefit from a “specific national funding”, assured the Head of State.
“This will make it possible to make the care process visible, to facilitate, for all people with endometriosis. This will facilitate their orientation and above all ensure that they are supported by doctors who know the disease and that is Extremely important”, greeted on franceinfo Yasmine Candau, president of the EndoFrance association.
4Is definitive treatment for endometriosis being considered?
Today, women with endometriosis do not recover from it because “there is no definitive curative treatment, Yasmine Candau recalled, welcoming the presentation of this fight strategy. The treatments are only aimed at minimizing the development of the disease, alleviating the symptoms. ”
However, Olivier Véran had insisted, during the launch of the mission in the spring, on the fact that “for fight endometriosis, all solutions deserve to be studied “, inviting the actors “to be innovative, to be creative”. “It is a hope for hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens affected by this disease”, he had concluded.
5How is Emmanuel Macron’s announcement received?
LREM MEP and Chrysoula gynecologist Zacharopoulou greeted AFP “a recognition of the whole of society towards the millions of women who suffer”. “France will be a model in Europe”, she rejoices. “We have been warning about endometriosis for twenty years, it was time for the problem to be taken seriously”, emphasizes Yasmine Candau, president of the EndoFrance association. “A research program, a healthcare network in all regions, better continuing education for doctors, all of this is going in the right direction”, she believes.
“This is the first time that we have had a national strategy and it is a very good thing, adds Nathalie Clary, president of the Endomind association. We must now have a budget “ on the table. She regrets, however, that endometriosis is not recognized among the 30 diseases classified as long-lasting diseases (ALD). On this point, the deputy LFI Clémentine Autain intends to present to the National Assembly on Thursday a resolution aimed at recognizing endometriosis as an ALD.