Told your period pain is normal?
Endometriosis affects around one woman in ten. On average it takes seven to ten years to be diagnosed — largely because severe period pain gets treated as something to put up with.
AED 250 — a full consultation with Dr Faiza Irshad, Specialist Gynaecologist, including a pelvic ultrasound. Gift Land Building, 1st Floor, Najda Street, Abu Dhabi.
Pain worth having looked at
- Period pain that stops you working, studying or sleeping
- Pain that painkillers barely touch
- Heavy bleeding, or bleeding between periods
- Pelvic pain at other times of the month, not only during your period
- Pain during or after intercourse
- Bloating, bowel or bladder discomfort that follows your cycle
- Tiredness that does not lift
One of these on its own may be nothing. Several together, month after month, is a pattern worth investigating rather than managing.
Why it takes so long to find
Endometriosis is tissue similar to the womb lining growing outside the womb. It causes inflammation and scarring, and the symptoms overlap with a long list of other conditions — which is part of why women are often sent from one specialist to another without anyone joining it up.
The other reason is simpler. Severe period pain is the one pain that still gets treated as normal. Many women are told for years that what they are feeling is just part of being a woman, and stop mentioning it.
It is not a rare condition. Around one woman in ten of reproductive age has it.
Not sure which check you need? Start with a gynaecologist consultation, or browse all gynaecology services. If irregular cycles are more the issue than pelvic pain, our PCOS health package may be a better starting point.
What the assessment involves
AED 250, with Dr Faiza Irshad — Specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a female doctor, full-time at the clinic.
- An unhurried consultation. Your symptom history, how long it has been going on, and what it stops you doing. This part matters more than any test.
- Examination where appropriate.
- Pelvic ultrasound, performed by Dr Faiza during the same visit, with the findings explained to you in the room.
- A plan. What is likely, what to do about the pain now, and whether anything further is needed.
What a scan can and cannot show
We would rather tell you this before you come than after.
An ultrasound can find some things and not others. It can show endometriomas on the ovaries, larger deposits, fibroids, and other causes of the same symptoms. It cannot rule endometriosis out. Superficial disease does not show on a scan, and a normal ultrasound does not mean nothing is there.
The definitive diagnosis is made during surgery, by laparoscopy. We do not perform surgery at Bashira. Where that step is needed, your doctor will tell you plainly and refer you on.
What this appointment gives you is the thing most women have been missing for years — a specialist taking the symptoms seriously, looking properly, ruling out what can be ruled out, and telling you what to do next.
Your doctor
Dr Faiza Irshad — Specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Female specialist, full-time at Bashira, so the doctor who assesses you is the doctor who follows you up.
English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.
Payment. AED 250 for the consultation, with the pelvic ultrasound included. Insurance is accepted on eligible plans — send us a photo of your card and our team will confirm your cover before you come. Instalments available with Tabby or Tamara. See our insurance partners.
Common questions
I have had scans before and they were normal. Is there any point?
Yes. A normal scan does not exclude endometriosis, and a scan read alongside a proper symptom history is a different thing from a scan read on its own. Bring any previous results with you.
Will I be told it is just period pain again?
No. If your pain is disrupting your life, that is the starting point of the conversation, not something to be talked out of.
Do I need to come at a particular point in my cycle?
Not usually. If there is a better time for your scan our team will tell you when they confirm the appointment.
What if it turns out to be something else?
That is a useful answer too. Fibroids, ovarian cysts, infection and several other conditions cause similar symptoms and are treated differently. Finding out which is the point of the visit.
What happens if I do need surgery?
Your doctor explains why, what it involves, and refers you to a surgical team. We do not perform surgery here.
Book an endometriosis assessment
Message us and our team will find you a time. Gift Land Building, 1st Floor, Najda Street, Abu Dhabi. Open every day 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Or call 02 621 9995.