For many Arizona women who suffer from endometriosis, finding treatment or even getting an accurate diagnosis can be difficult. In fact, the average wait for being correctly diagnosed is about 12 years. This is because some doctors may dismiss or ignore the symptoms or misdiagnose the symptoms as something else, ultimately delaying treatment.
Endometriosis causes lesions to grow in a woman’s uterus. Over time, these lesions can spread to other parts of the body, including the ovaries, intestines and legs. In rare cases, they can even spread to the lungs or brain. The lesions often result in severe pain. Women with endometriosis often face infertility, painful intercourse and disruptions in their intestinal tract. The pain can potentially be so severe that a person suffering from endometriosis may be unable to work.
In order to combat the misdiagnosis and delayed treatment of endometriosis, two leading nonprofits are working together to improve the standards of endometriosis diagnosis and care, provide updated practice guidelines for diagnosing patients and improve surgeon standards when treating the disorder. In order to prevent pain and delay time-sensitive treatment, it is key that doctors are able to diagnose the disorder early and accurately.
Not every failure to diagnose a disease rises to the level of medical malpractice. There must be a finding that the health care practitioner of facility in question failed to exhibit the requisite standard of care. An attorney who is representing a patient in this type of situation will review the applicable hospital records and confer with medical experts in order to reach such a decision.