The 13th World Congress on Endometriosis took place at the Vancouver Convention Center. Led by our very own Dr. Catherine Allaire, this year’s congress attracted 1100 delegates from 58 different countries and over 400 abstracts were presented. Dr. Mohamed Bedaiwy was the Scientific Program chair and the topics presented covered the latest in immunology, genetics, fertility, pain, surgery, medical treatment and complementary therapies with a focus on improving the quality of life for women living with endometriosis.
The BC Women’s Centre for Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis had numerous presentations and posters sharing their ongoing research. Dr. Catherine Allaire presented on the one year outcomes of the BC Women’s Centre for Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis showing that pain catastrophizing may be an area of focus for future research. Dr. Paul Yong presented his ground-breaking paper just recently published in the NEJM that found cancer-causing mutations in non-cancerous endometriosis. Dr. Christina Williams presented a poster on her research into ethnicity and endometriosis. Holly Yager, clinical counselor for the BC Women’s Centre presented an oral and a poster on mental health issues in women with pelvic pain and endometriosis. Dr. Lori Brotto, Executive Director of the WHRI, was one of many keynote lecturers and discussed the impact of sexual dysfunction for women living with endometriosis.
There were many Pre-Congress courses, which were a very popular addition to the Congress. A patient friendly pre-congress course was chaired by Dr. Paul Yong and featured as one of the speakers BC Women’s Centre physiotherapist Susannah Britnell. The course provided patients with tools for improving their quality of life and facilitating advocacy. A Meet and Mingle luncheon sponsored by BC Women’s Hospital allowed patients to mingle with the world’s leading endometriosis researchers.
Following Dr. Allaire’s vision of collaborative care, the 13th World Congress on Endometriosis not only featured the first patient focused pre-congress course, but also organized the first ever Congress Fundraising Run for Endometriosis, which attracted 130 participants including delegates, patients and their families and friends.
By all measures and from feedback received, this was the most successful World Congress yet!
For more highlights of the Congress visit #WCE2017 on twitter or endometriosis.ca