Acute pain in the stomach, in the limbs or radiating along the lumbar. Gastrointestinal disorders. Chronic fatigue slowing down all activities. A loss of taste for sociability, work. Women stuck at home or forced to interrupt their working day to take refuge in the toilets…
We no longer count the multitude of symptoms, more or less debilitating, which plague the daily lives of employees with endometriosis. This gynecological disease, which strikes around one in ten French women of childbearing age, is a dysfunction of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), the cells of which migrate outside of it and attach themselves to other tissues. , other organs of the body, causing lesions and cysts.
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Incurable, long under-diagnosed, not to say killed, this pathology represents a major public health issue, but also – we think about it less often – quality of life at work. It will also be the subject of a highlight during the 2049 evening “Quality of life at work in the public service”, organized by “Obs” on April 6. (Registration)
A French start-up, which fights for better support for women with endometriosis in the workplace, will be honored. It is called Lyv – which means both “life” and “refuge” in the Scandinavian languages – and was created in 2021, with this imperative: “ The years of medical wandering and late diagnosis of this disease must end. To put it more simply, its invisibilization must cease”, insists Chloé Bonnet.
An economic and social cost
The latter founded Lyv with Hélène Antier, who underwent fifteen trying years of medical wandering before being diagnosed. Activists for women’s health and well-being, the two entrepreneurs also have a social commitment behind them, as Chloé Bonnet explains: “We seek to make employers understand that endometriosis is not just a ‘question of private life’ for their employees, that it also concerns their work, their productivity, their motivation, in short the professional sphere. And as such, it is essential that the human resources teams take ownership of it. »
In fact, endometriosis has a social and economic cost that is far from negligible: worldwide, it reduces productivity by an average of eleven hours per week, i.e. approximately four hours of absenteeism and six hours of presence. interspersed with troubles (2012 study, conducted in particular by the Catholic University of Louvain).
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To the point that if this pathology is not recognized in France as a long-term condition, its most disabling chronic symptoms can give rise to recognition of a disability, with an obligation for the employer to adjust working conditions.
No single protocol
This is why Chloé Bonnet is delighted to have been able to establish a partnership with a Parisian public hospital, the University Hospital Group (GHU) Paris Psychiatry & Neurosciences, which notably brings together the staff of the former Sainte-Anne hospital, well known in the world of mental health.
From March 30, women with endometriosis among the 4,800 employees (about 500 people) will be able to enroll in the School of Endo, a six-month program aimed at “taking power over the disease”. That is to say, not to cure it – an outcome still inaccessible to this day – but to learn to limit its most damaging consequences on a daily basis, or at least to live with it more calmly. Chloé Bonnet presents her project:
« The School of Endo is a digital platform that already breaks isolation. Participants will have access to scientifically validated content to better understand endometriosis and, every two weeks, they will be able to attend question-and-answer sessions by videoconference with health professionals. This of course allows you to put things into words, which is essential for this disease which women are just beginning to feel entitled to talk about, but also to share experiences, to exchange advice…”
Endometriosis has so many faces that there is no single protocol to apply to all: “What works for one woman has no effect on another… It’s up to each person to get to know themselves better in order to move towards well-being. »
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Since studies are still fragmented, it is very difficult to say that science recommends this or that change in lifestyle. But it seems clear that diet plays a definite role in reducing symptoms. “It is an inflammatory disease, so it seems important to reduce the consumption of foods that promote inflammation, such as red meat or sugar, advances the co-founder of Lyv. Conversely, it seems appropriate to favor omega-3s. »
Enora Malagré on endometriosis: “Overwhelmed by pain, I dreamed of tearing this organ out of myself”
Another piece of advice, more counter-intuitive: the importance of maintaining a good level of physical activity. “For many women pinned down by pain or fatigue, it’s a terrible effort. But it seems to be a paying effort to get better. » In any case, Chloé Bonnet hopes that the six months of support for employees of the GHU Paris Psychiatry & Neurosciences will make it possible to see positive impacts. These will be duly quantified and listed by a doctoral student. Lyv’s objective is clear: to further open the eyes of French employers to what they stand to gain from support. Their Australian or British counterparts have already understood this for several years.
