Below The Belt documentary to expose taboo of endometriosis and 'inspire change'

21 June 2023 , 22:39

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Below The Belt is set to air on PBS tonight (Wednesday, June 21) and those involved in the important project are hoping the coverage will go a long way to "expose the last taboo in women's health" that is endometriosis.

The programme's executive producer Hillary Clinton took to social media to call the documentary "moving, informative, and infuriating" ahead of it airing nationally in the United States.

The groundbreaking film is set to explore and expose widespread problems in the country's healthcare system that disproportionately affect women through the lens of endometriosis.

Shannon Cohn, the show's director told Mirror US ahead of its release: "Endometriosis is a perfect awful storm of all the things women face in healthcare.

"It's like a modern medical manifestation of gender bias, undervaluing women, lack of informed consent and reduced access to care."

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Below The Belt documentary to expose taboo of endometriosis and 'inspire change'

Below The Belt will air on PBS

The programme wants to raise awareness

As many as one in nine women suffer from the "invisible disease" and those involved in the production think it's about time the condition is openly spoken about.

The ultimate goal for the project is to "try and implement policy change," with the documentary being billed as something that can potentially save lives.

It reveals the heartbreak of the last great health taboo, endometriosis – a painful gynaecological disease that is common, but is rarely talked about or funded.

The film is set to explore the lengthy average wait to it takes in the US for women to be diagnosed with endometriosis - 8 to 10 years - due to being dismissed, discounted and disbelieved.

Dr Iris Kerin Orbuch, who is a subject matter on the documentary and also the author of Beating Endo revealed to us: "Currently, there's a diagnostic delay of nearly a decade, and those suffering often see 8 physicians over the course of that decade.

By raising awareness, Below The Belt will shorten the diagnostic delay and hopefully inspire more gynaecologists to be trained in the excision of endometriosis, and ultimately make a huge difference to the nearly 200,000,000 people suffering worldwide from this disease reclaim their lives."

Executive Producer Hillary Rodham Clinton and Director & Producer Shannon Cohn (Getty Images)

Shannon added: "Below the Belt is now getting the attention of policymakers, health care leaders and the White House and I'm honoured to have it premiering on PBS. My hope is to fully expose this last taboo in women's health and spark a movement toward much needed change."

One person who will be tuning into the show is Danielle Payton, who suffers from stage four endometriosis.

The Director of Blockhn Media said it appears as though the show will shed insight into what the disease entails. "I pray it brings further awareness to what is one of the most painful, life altering, chronic progressive illness that one in 10 women have," she told us.

She described those with the disease as being a "powerful community" and said she is hopeful more people will soon understand what it is like to endure such a disease.