Senator Karen Nyamu has called for a national discussion on endometriosis in Kenya after media personality Natalie Githinji revealed she has stage 4 endometriosis.
Githinji underwent surgery and spent time in the Intensive Care Unit before moving to a hospital room to recover.
She described the diagnosis as her “worst nightmare” and said it has affected her physically, mentally and emotionally.
Nyamu said Githinji’s case shows how many Kenyan women suffer from endometriosis without enough support or access to specialist care.
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The senator said she wants to check if the Social Health Authority (SHA) covers the true cost of endometriosis treatment.
"Develop a national framework for endometriosis care, backed by proper data and build capacity by training more Gynaecologists specifically in endometriosis diagnosis, treatment and complex surgery", she said in a statement released via her Instagram page.
She also called for better national data on the condition, more specialist doctors and more attention to the experiences of women living with the disease.
Nyamu said she would reach out to Githinji to support her during treatment and stressed that endometriosis should be treated as a serious health issue, not politics.
The conversation has also brought back memories of Jahmby Koikai, a well-known endometriosis advocate who died in June 2024 after a long battle with the disease.
Nyamu linked Koikai’s legacy to Githinji’s current struggle, saying Kenya must move from awareness to practical solutions.
One major problem is the shortage of specialist doctors. In 2024, the Ministry of Health told Parliament that Kenya had about 700 gynaecologists but only five trained laparoscopic gynaecological surgeons, most of them at national referral hospitals.
This makes it hard for women outside major towns to get advanced care.
Cost is another big challenge. Githinji has said laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis can cost between Ksh350,000 and over Ksh1.5 million, depending on severity and hospital.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, such as on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or other pelvic organs.
This tissue behaves like normal uterine lining, it thickens, breaks down, and bleeds with each menstrual cycle, but because it cannot exit the body, it causes inflammation, pain, and sometimes scarring.
The most common symptom is severe pelvic pain, especially during periods, but it can also cause pain during sex, bowel movements, or urination, heavy bleeding, fatigue, and difficulty getting pregnant.
The exact cause is unknown, but one leading theory is retrograde menstruation, where menstrual blood flows backward into the pelvic cavity instead of out of the body.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition with no cure, but treatments like pain medication, hormone therapy, or surgery can help manage symptoms.
It affects people of reproductive age and can significantly impact daily life and fertility.