The celebrity who calls endometriosis a “garbage bag disorder”

Dr. Drew Pinksy may not be as big of a household name as Angelina Jolie, but he did have to apologize to the actress once after calling her malnourished without ever examining her.

Now the famed internist, who is the host of the show “Loveline,” is at it again, this time inciting a number of viewers after he referred to endometriosis as a “garbage bag disorder.” According to reports, Pinksy took a call from a man who was seeking advice regarding his girlfriend’s endometriosis, lactose intolerance and interstitial cystitis. After just a brief interaction over the phone, Pinsky advised the woman seek a trauma specialist based on a history of sexual abuse and hung up the phone.

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He then explained that to the audience that endometriosis was a garbage bag disorder that doctors turn to when nothing else seems to make sense. Of course, a number of women who suffer from endometriosis as well as medical specialists decried Pinksy’s statement, stating that endometriosis was a legitimate diagnosis and one that should be taken seriously.

According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, endometriosis is a very common gynecological issue, affecting more than 8 million women in the United States alone and more than 170 million worldwide. The average age of onset for the condition is 27, and while it is one of the most treatable conditions associated with infertility, it remains one of the least treated due to lack of awareness.

“No consensus has been reached on the definitive cause of endometriosis, though stem cells, genetics, dysfunctional immune response, and environmental triggers may all be part of the multi-factorial origin of the disease,” states the Foundation. “A woman or girl with a mother who has endometriosis is seven times more likely to have the disease herself; endometriosis is also associated with other autoimmune disorders such as thyroid disease.”

Because there are so many variables among women who experience endometriosis, not only is the condition sometimes difficult to diagnose, it is diagnosed often, simply due to the fact there are a variety of causes and situations where it can be present.

This frequency does not make endometriosis a “garbage bag diagnosis,” it just makes it a common condition that warrants more research and attention in the medical field.

The truth about endometriosis

A number of misconceptions exist regarding endometriosis aside from it being a go-to diagnosis for when doctors don’t really know what is going on. One of the most common myths associated with the condition is that only women with a heavy endometriosis burden experience pain, but in reality, any amount of endometriosis can be unbearable, and there is no link between the amount present and the amount of pain felt.

“Any amount of endometriosis can cause pain, and the disease does not need to be advanced to cause significant symptoms,” says the Endometriosis Foundation of America. “Likewise, higher stage (3 and 4) disease may cause little to no symptoms in some women. Situations vary; moderate growth can trigger intense pain in some women while advanced growth causes less severe pain in others. Every woman’s situation is unique and therefore expert medical evaluation is absolutely essential.”

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That expert evaluation is yet another reason Drew Pinsky has criticism for his remark. Not only did he come off as dismissive of endometriosis as a diagnosis, he has a long history of making medical statements without examination as he did with Angelina Jolie.

The backlash he received from the comment caused Pinsky to issue a halfhearted apology the next day, saying he was referring only to the specific caller’s case, not the condition in general.