Yet despite its debilitating symptoms, such as heavy bleeding and menstrual period lasting more than a week, many women don’t seek treatment.
Similarly, one in 10 women is known to experience endometriosis, a painful disorder in which a tissue similar to the one that lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus. Yet, less than half of these women get diagnosed or treated, why this neglect?
Clinical studies have shown that a significant number of women find conventional treatment procedures too painful, lengthy and frustrating.
Many gynaecologists currently rely on an archaic, 175-year-old, medical procedure known as 'blind D&C' to diagnose and treat intrauterine abnormalities and diseases.
The procedure poses a serious health risk to patients due to its "low diagnostic accuracy" and "incomplete resection of pathology".
The procedure also fails to detect the very existence of tissues such as polyps and fibroids in the body due to lack of "direct" visual access.
In 87 percent of the cases, it was found that the whole or part of the lesion remained, according to data published in the Medtronic website. Medtronic is a global leader in medical technology.
This was also true with retained products (RPOC) of conception or placental remnants, at the end of pregnancy, as blind D&C was known to remove only 40 percent of the remnants, resulting in bleeding and other complications. RPOC happens in cases of miscarriage and planned abortion. Around 45 percent of pregnancies are unintended and hence offering safe and complete removal of remnants are important.
But what if there is a much safer and minimally invasive solution for diagnosing and treating fibroids, polyps and other intrauterine abnormalities?
Enter MHTR
Doctors in the West have now moved on to innovations like Mechanic Hysteroscopic Tissue Removal (MHTR) systems, in which pathology removal, including fibroids or polyps are being treated in the outpatient setting without any need for general anaesthesia or the use of any heat energy, a risky procedure which was previously used. MHTR also enables surgeons to see and treat at the same setting using a single insertion apart from removing as much as 98 percent of the diseased tissues.
“The biggest advantage of using TruClear MHTR is that in more than 80 percent of the cases, the procedure can be done without anaesthesia and also in an office setting, with minimal amount of pain to the patients,” said Dr Milind Telang, consultant, laparoscopic gynaecologist, Galaxy Care Hospital, Pune who has done more than 200 cases using MHTR technology. “Since the technology allows you to see and treat, unlike blind D&C, where you do not know where the pathologies are, the procedure is more transparent. There is also no chance of injury or damage to endometrium due to dispersion of electric current, as MHTR is based on mechanical energy.”
Docs Call for Action
With technology now available, the representatives of three major world gynaecological societies-- the Global Hysteroscopy Community, the American Association for Gynaecological Laparoscopy and the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy--have called for an end to "blind gynaecological diagnostic and therapeutic interventions" to protect women's health, in a meeting held in Spain last month.
There are also plenty of peer-reviewed studies, published in reputed journals that have shown that MHTR systems are much better for the patient as it reduces complication rates, procedure time and leads to less post-procedural complications. As the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Science observes “new endoscopic devices will probably open newer, safer and more efficient ways to treat and remove the most common benign tumours in women.”
Announcing the partnership Mr Ganesh Prasad Founder, MD & CEO GenWorks Health said, "Care for Newborns and women is core to GenWorks. While the last 2 decades have brought in great focus on adoption of technology to save lives, tech adoption for women’s wellness is almost non-existent. GenWorks has made a pioneering effort to put together best-in-class technology for women’s wellness. We serve the maximum women’s health specialists in our country and hence are able to put together solutions from early screening to safe treatment.’’
Mr Prasad further said, "GenWorks’ strategy for women’s health is to impact wellness and safe treatment. We believe the value of women and their well-being is of paramount importance in everything we do. The addition of TruClear is a huge opportunity for safe treatment and almost freedom from archaic practices that affect the wellbeing of our women.’’
Mr Prasad added ‘’Our portfolio in women’s healthcare is complete from early screening, early diagnosis, focused treatment and development care. Our connected care platform provides specialists access anywhere in the country and impacts affordable access. We can say with pride when it comes to women’s health it is only GenWorks.’’
