Medical Conference 2011: Let’s Talk About Sex & Endometriosis…Seriously!

Top International Faculty Convenes to Talk about Sex…and Endometriosis…Seriously!
At Endofound's Second Annual Scientific Symposium

“We are here today to exchange options and ideas.”
- Symposium Chair, Tamer Seckin, MD

In support of this event, Endofound acknowledges the generous gift made by the Leon Lowenstein Foundation, Inc. in behalf of Kim Bendheim, Co-Chairman and Director of the Foundation, along with the genorosity of our event partners, Ethicon Endosurgery, Simbionix, Karl Storz Endoscopy, Lumenis Lasers, Abbott Medical, endometriosis.org and the Endometriosis Research Center.

Praise for Endofound’s 2011 Scientific Symposium:

“After listening to those speakers, I am going to recommend that my best friend speak to her doctor because she has many of the signs that were discussed today – and has had them since she was 13 and has been on birth control pills ever since.  Hopefully, I can help someone that I deeply care about as a direct result of attending today’s sessions.” – Health Media attendee

“Amazing job on the conference...what an inspiration to so many women!”-Leading MD/Surgeon

“Thanks to & yours for providing such a forum in which to meet, share, learn & grow. I know this is but the root that will branch off exponentially. Each 1 teach 1...”-Researcher

“I am hoping that one year I can meet Padma and tell her that she is the reason my girlfriend got help and is better now.”-Partner

“…this was the best year!”-World-renowned scientist

“I came out of the conference full of information to share and to help others.”-Patient

“…this conference was not only even better than last year, but also the fact that more patients were there and they learned a lot…the 2 day structure was just amazing.”-Caregiver

“Thank you for your gift - of opening our eyes to the options of treatment, caring and educating yesterday with your panel of doctors. Patients are in need to be heard and helped on many levels. This forum allowed our voices to be heard outside of the doctor’s  offices, outside of our friends and family's ears…women came from all over the US to be there and join in this journey to not only help and spread the word, but to find answers to our questions to solve the mystery of this disease.”-Patient

“You are a pioneer…on the forefront of treating this scourge of young women!”-Top-ranked gynecologist

The Endometriosis Foundation of America is very grateful to the international panel of experts, health professionals, patient constituency, public, and all those who came together in NYC on March 18 and 19, 2011 to attend our second annual scientific symposium.  Hundreds of delegates were present, with countless more joining via our live webcast, united in the common mission of advancing the dialogue on all aspects of the disease.

Throughout both days of the conference, one significant message was clear: women are suffering, being misdiagnosed and continuously mistreated. Endometriosis is estimated to affect the lives of 1 out of 10 women, and although it may not be fatal, the disease holds devastating effects on the quality of life of a woman and all those in her life, personal and professional.

Chaired by Endofound Co-Founder and President, Tamer Seckin, MD, this exciting event brought together leaders in endometriosis from the realms of molecular science, research, industry and surgery, including Foundation 2011 Honorees Caroline Gargett, BAppSci, MAppSci, PhD and David B. Redwine, MD, FACOG, ACGE; Scientific Co-Chairs Keith Isaacson, MD, C.Y. Liu, MD and Harry Reich, MD; and Faculty members Michael Divon, MD, Asgerally T. Fazleabas, PhD, Linda Griffith, PhD, Victor Gomel, MD, Lone Hummelshøj, Pinar Kodaman, MD, PhD, Franklin D. Loffer, MD, Marta Meana, PhD, Iris Orbuch, MD, Resad Pasic, MD, PhD, Elizabeth Poynor, MD, William Rodgers, MD, PhD, Adam Romoff, MD, Juan Salgado-Morales, MD, Neeta Shah, MD, Wendy Winer, RN, BSN, CNOR, Mike Berkley, LAc., Heather Ropplo-Guidone, Jessica Brown, MD, Deborah Coady, MD, Jhumka Gupta, MPH, ScD, Dena Harris, MD, A. Douglas Heymann, MD, FACS, Kelly Jacob-Burns, Tanmoy Mukherjee, MD and Iris Orbuch, MD.

At its core, the Endofound's second annual scientific symposium dared to tackle dyspareunia - a provocative, politically-charged conundrum that has never before been presented in a dedicated setting. Dyspareunia, a known symptom of Cul-de-Sac endometriosis, remains a largely ignored crisis of female sexual health and well-being. Defined as painful sexual intercourse, dyspareunia is one of the many devastating symptoms that affect women in their most sexually active years, yet is rarely addressed.  Lone Hummelshøj, Chief Executive of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation, revealed the far-reaching effects of dyspareunia on the patient - from her psychological well-being, self-esteem and body image to her relationships - in her presentation “Sex in the Morning? Perhaps not for Women with Endometriosis!” Driving her point home, Hummelshøj pointed to the World Health Organization’s earlier determination that a satisfying and safe sex life is, in fact, a “fundamental human right.”

The first day of the conference was comprised of Endofound's traditional scientific and surgical symposium, in which patient, healthcare providers and women’s health professionals who attended as delegates had the crucial opportunity to learn from the renowned faculty; it is the Foundation’s mission that such education be applied in those individuals’ own practices in order to improve the delivery of care to their endometriosis patients. During the first session, “Biochemistry & Molecular Science of Endometriosis,” famed Pathologist William Rodgers, MD, PhD illustrated the significance of an ongoing project of the Foundation - the establishment of a Tissue Procurement Facility.  As Dr. Rodgers explained, studies on endometriosis cannot be done effectively without actual samples of the tissue, which are often lost in such surgical approaches as vaporization. In correspondence with these efforts, Linda Griffith, PhD and Keith Isaacson, MD of the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research, discussed current research efforts toward an understanding of the cues and signals of the disease, studying patient samples and comparing similarities and differences.  The world’s foremost authority on stem cell research, Caroline Gargett, BAppSci, MAppSci, PhD, also presented her critical data concerning the role of endometrial stem cells in gynecological disease and how they can be targeted for potential treatment of the disease.

Endofound Co-Founder Padma Lakshmi took the stage Friday to thank attendees and ask if those present would continue to “help us by spreading the word…be our soldiers in the field…so that younger generations of women do not go through what I went through.”

Introducing session two, “Love, Sex, Happiness & Endometriosis,” international microsurgery pioneer Victor Gomel, MD spoke of the urgent necessity for comprehensive disease education and understanding within the medical community.  Dr. Gomel emphasized that a surgeon treating endometriosis must have the appropriate knowledge and interest in this field coupled with the willingness to follow a patient, in order to truly evaluate the effectiveness of her care. In his landmark session three presentations, Asteroid Detection, HOX Genes & Endometriosis, Dr. David Redwine reiterated the enigmatic nature of the disease - endometriosis is positionally static, following a pattern as it develops, rather than simply spreading at random; in tandem with this, aggressive excision has been demonstrated clearly to be the best option for satisfactory patient outcome. In concurrence with Dr. Redwine’s lecture, world-renowned surgeon Harry Reich, MD emphasized that medical treatment “never works, though it is looked at favorably by the healthcare industry due to costs.”  Dr. Reich reiterated the message that excision surgery is essential to fight against this disease.

The theme continued throughout the day, with revealing clinical presentations on endometriosis syndromes, primate model data updates, associated infertility, surgical demonstrations and much more from panelists.

Conference moderator Heather Roppolo-Guidone, Endofound’s Chief Medical & Science Coordinator and Saturday Co-Chair, opened the second day by encouraged participating patients to take advantage of the open forum, saying “if we don’t speak for ourselves, no one will speak for us.” Recounting the origins of the conference, Dr. Seckin explained to the audience, “you are the reason that we got this going…we saw that patients were not being treated properly…we saw that we were missing things…and not being taught how to properly treat you.”  He also reemphasized the mission of the Foundation: “we need to create awareness, along with education…I continue to look for the truth.”  The unique, patient-centric theme of Saturday’s workshops encouraged extensive dialogue between attendees and panel experts.  The novel event – the first of its kind in the United States - giving patients and caregivers unparalleled access to leaders on the disease, affording the opportunity to exchange ideas, ask for guidance, share suggestions, and most importantly, allow women’s voices to be heard.

Friday's sessions were webcast live in an interactive format and watched by countless participants from around the globe. 

Currently, in addition to ongoing research projects and awareness efforts, the Endometriosis Foundation of America is looking ahead to next year’s Conference, Going to the Roots.  Check back frequently as we continue to bring you updates on our efforts.  Thank you again for your ongoing support of our critical mission!

Let’s Talk About Sex & Endometriosis…Seriously!

Friday, March 18, 2011, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Faculty & Agenda Subject to Change.

Let’s TALK about Endometriosis…
…and Sex, and Pain, and Infertility, and Surgery!
First International Workshop for Patients about Sex & Endometriosis
at the New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center
250 Greenwich Street, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Saturday, March 19, 2011

CONFERENCE DIRECTOR: Tamer Seckin, MD, Endofound Co-Founder & President  |  CO-CHAIRS:  Lone Hummelshøj | Heather Roppolo-Guidone

SATURDAY FACULTY: Mike Berkley, LAc. | Jessica Brown, MD | Deborah Coady, MD | Victor Gomel, MD | Jhumka Gupta, MPH, ScD | Dena E. Harris, MD | A. Douglas Heymann, MD, FACS | Kelly Jacob-Burns | Marta Meana, PhD | Tanmoy Mukherjee, MD | Iris Orbuch, MD | Neeta Shah, MD | Wendy Winer, RN, BSN, CNOR

Saturday March 19, 2011  9:30am – 2:30pm