Dr Sullivan,
I'd like to speak with you regarding the erroneous quotes you gave to CNN in an article about Lena Dunham and endometriosis.
You were quoted as follows:
"Most people think that when women have a period, a few of these cells travel through the fallopian tubes into the abdomen and then they end up implanting where they shouldn't be," said Dr. Scott Sullivan, associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina.
As a patient with endometriosis, I am well-educated in the disease, and have learned from my doctors and through research that the theory of retrograde menstruation has been debunked. This is a theory from the 1920s - nearly one hundred years ago. Here is an informative article from the Center For Endometriosis Care, a leading expert in treating endometriosis.
Surgery can be used to remove the cells. However, the only absolute cure, said Sullivan, is a hysterectomy.
This is patently false. There is no cure for endometriosis, let alone an "absolute" one. And a hysterectomy is often completely ineffective, as many of the cells can and do spread far outside of the uterus, and continue to grow and cause pain after the uterus is removed. This study in particular showed that hysterectomy is far from a cure.
As someone who suffers from the pain and stigma of endometriosis, I'm horrified that a doctor, particularly one specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a professor of medicine, is so poorly informed about such a common disease. I'm further horrified that someone like yourself would be providing information to a news outlet such as CNN. The only way that we can develop better treatments is to inform people of the reality of endometriosis. False claims about its origins, and more importantly, erroneously telling people that there is a cure, is completely contrary to the goal of finding better treatment or an actual cure.
I insist that you contact CNN and tell them that you were incorrect, and that they must retract your statements. They should refer to a more informed source, such as the Center for Endometriosis Care, The Endometriosis Association, The Endometriosis Foundation of America, or The Endometriosis Research Center.
Sincerely,
Alanna Burke
Oceanside, CA