Program Description
Event Details
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and the Decatur Public Library is honored to host a screening of the film "Below the Belt: The Last Health Taboo".
"Through the lens of endometriosis, a disease that affects 1 in 9 women, the film shows how women are often dismissed, discounted & disbelieved. During the 10 years it takes to be diagnosed with endometriosis, women are often told that symptoms are in their head or part of being a woman. Due to outdated notions, they are then often treated with an array of ineffective drugs and surgeries and erroneously told that pregnancy & hysterectomy are cures. Nearly 50% of infertility cases in women are due to endometriosis & almost all are preventable.
From societal taboos and gender bias to misinformed doctors and financial barriers to care, Below the Belt shines a light on how millions are effectively silenced and how, by fighting back, they can improve healthcare for all women. Through the personal & inspiring stories of four women urgently searching for answers to mysterious symptoms, Below the Belt exposes widespread problems in our healthcare system that disproportionately affect women."
- Doors open at 6:00pm
- Screening of the film
- Discussion and opportunity for Q&A to follow
ABOUT ENDOMETRIOSIS:
Endometriosis (“endo”) affects approximately 200 million girls, women and transmen around the world - that’s at least 1 in 9 women. Even so, it takes an average of 8 doctors and 10 years to properly diagnose. A greater diagnostic delay exists for women of color who are less likely believed, diagnosed & effectively treated. During that time, many are often told incorrectly by doctors that an array of ineffective drugs, pregnancy & hysterectomy are cures. Many are left infertile - nearly 50% of infertility cases in women are due to this disease.
Endometriosis makes a tremendous global impact as well putting a burden on society of an estimated $119 billion annually in the US alone in lost wages and associated medical costs. 1 in 6 women with endometriosis lost at least 1 job due to symptoms as patients lose an estimated 10 hours of productivity per week.