Nations's First-of-its-Kind Endometriosis Scientific Workshop Aims to Improve the Quality of Life for Malaysian Women
PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 4 June 2025 - Thomson Fertility (also known as TMC Fertility) marked a significant milestone in women's healthcare by hosting the Holistic Endometriosis Care Scientific Workshop at Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara. The event brought together international experts from the University of Oxford's Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Monash University (Malaysia & Australia), and University of Warwick to address the complex management of endometriosis – a condition affecting 1 in 10 Malaysian women.
From left: Prof. Dr. Prasanna, Prof. Katy Vincent, Prof. J. Ravichandran, Dr. Hannah Nazri, Prof. Christian Becker, Ms Lakshmi Menon, CEO of Thomson Fertility Malaysia, Prof. Krina Zondervan, Ms. Evodie Paul, Prof. Beverley Vollenhoven and Dr. Thomas Tapmeier, speakers from Monash University Malaysia, MyEndosis, University of Warwick and University of Oxford.
Themed 'Holistic Endometriosis Care – From Bench to Bedside', the workshop was designed to elevate awareness, diagnostics, and multidisciplinary care beginning at the primary healthcare level, while reinforcing the link between endometriosis and infertility.
In her opening remarks, Ms Lakshmi Menon, CEO of Thomson Fertility (also known as TMC Fertility), shared the team's long-term commitment to raising the standard of care in women's health and fertility:
'We are proud to lead conversations that matter. This workshop underscores our role not just as a fertility centre, but as a regional leader in holistic women's healthcare. Empowering primary care providers is key to ensuring women get the right diagnosis early—especially when endometriosis is so closely linked with fertility struggles. Together with our international partners, we aim to transform the future of women's care in Malaysia.'
Driving Early Diagnosis, Multidisciplinary Management and Fertility Education
The workshop featured cutting-edge research and practical approaches to improve diagnosis, pain management, and long-term care for women with endometriosis. Among the key topics discussed:
Expert Perspectives on a Global Health Challenge
Prof. Dr. Prasanna Supramaniam, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Thomson Fertility (also known as TMC Fertility) and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Oxford, stated:
'This is the first workshop of its kind in Malaysia, and it's time we addressed the reality that many women suffer in silence. Pain is not normal, and primary care doctors are our first line of defence. This initiative is part of our long-standing commitment to endometriosis education, awareness, and fertility support.'
Prof. Christian Becker, Lead of the Oxford BSGE Endometriosis Centre and Co-Director of the Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, added:
'Endometriosis remains underdiagnosed globally. I'm honoured to share our research and see Thomson Fertility take a leadership role in improving care pathways in this region.'
Globally, endometriosis remains one of the most underdiagnosed chronic conditions, affecting millions of women—often without their knowledge. According to the Ministry of Health Malaysia, approximately 1 in 10 Malaysian women are believed to suffer from endometriosis, yet many remain unaware of their condition due to delayed diagnosis and lack of awareness.
The disease characterised by tissue similar to the uterine lining growing outside the uterus can cause debilitating pain, especially during menstruation, sexual intercourse, urination, or defecation. If left untreated, it can significantly affect fertility and quality of life.
Adding a local perspective, Prof. J. Ravichandran, Senior Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and Maternal Foetal Medicine Consultant at Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru, shared:
'Endometriosis is an enigmatic disease. Many women live through cycles of pain, ineffective medication, and repeat surgeries due to delayed or inadequate treatment. There is an urgent need for better data and early intervention strategies to optimise care.'
Monthly Endometriosis Day Initiative by Thomson Fertility
As part of its ongoing mission to reshape women's healthcare in Malaysia, Thomson Fertility (also known as TMC Fertility) has launched Endo Care @ Thomson—a monthly awareness initiative held on the first Saturday of every month.
Each session offers educational talks and workshops by fertility and gynaecology experts.
This monthly programme is open to the public and aims to break the silence around menstrual health and endometriosis, helping women seek the care they need without hesitation.
REFERENCES
The workshop featured a distinguished panel of medical professionals, each contributing valuable expertise on endometriosis management:
Hashtag: #ThomsonFertility
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
ABOUT THOMSON FERTILITY
Established in 1994, Thomson Fertility (also known as TMC Fertility) is Malaysia's leading fertility centre known for its exceptional care and high success rates. With multiple branches across Peninsular Malaysia, it offers advanced fertility treatments supported by state-of-the-art laboratories and quality medications. With over 30 years of experience and state-of-the-art facilities, Thomson Fertility is committed to helping individuals and couples achieve their dream of parenthood.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Could Consumption of UPFs Up Lung Cancer Risk?
Individuals who ate more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had a significantly higher risk for lung cancer over 12 years than those who ate fewer UPFs, based on new data from more than 100,000 adults in an observational study. Cigarette smoking is a known contributor to lung cancer, but diet also is known to play a role; however, data on the impact of UPFs in particular on lung cancer risk remain unclear, Kanran Wang, MD, of Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China, and colleagues wrote. In a study published in Thorax, the researchers reviewed data from 101,732 adults enrolled in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, a randomized trial of screening tests for lung, prostate, colorectal, and ovarian cancers from 10 centers across the US. The primary endpoint was the incidence of lung cancer. In a multivariate analysis, individuals in the highest quartile of UPF consumption were 41% more likely to develop lung cancer than those in the lowest quartile of consumption (hazard ratio [HR], 1.41); risk also was higher for both non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (HR, 1.37) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (HR, 1.44). These results remained statistically significant after a large range of subgroup and sensitivity analyses, including age, sex, and family history of lung cancer. UPF consumption was based on the Food Frequency Questionnaire, and foods were classified by dietitians into four categories of processing as unprocessed or minimally processed, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and UPF, based on the NOVA criteria. The mean age of the study population at baseline was 62.5 years. The mean energy-adjusted UPF consumption was 2.8 servings/d, with mean servings for the lowest and highest intake quarters of 0.5 and 6.0, respectively. Approximately half of the participants in each quarter were current or ever-smokers. The researchers identified 1706 lung cancer cases over a mean follow-up of 12.2 years, including 1473 cases of NSCLC and 233 cases of SCLC. Potential explanations for the association between UPF and lung cancer include the impact of nutritional components of UPF including high sodium, saturated fats, added sugar, and low fiber, the researchers noted. Overall, lunchmeat was the greatest contributor to UPF (11%) following by caffeinated soft drinks (diet and regular) and decaffeinated soft drinks (diet and regular), which each accounted for approximately 7% of UPF intake. The researchers acknowledged the study limitations, including the observational design, limited number of incident events, relatively homogenous study population, and use of self-reports. However, they concluded that if the findings are confirmed in other studies, limiting trends of UPF intake globally could help reduce the overall burden of lung cancer. In addition, 'future studies should elucidate potential molecular mechanisms and increase understanding of the observed associations,' the researchers wrote. Caveats Abound, Experts Say Several experts weighed in with comments that were published online in the Science Media Centre. Although the study was well-conducted, limitations include the study population of only adults aged 55-74 years in the US, therefore the results may not be relevant to younger individuals in other countries, said Rachel Richardson, acting head of methods support, The Cochrane Collaboration, in an editorial section accompanying the study. In addition, dietary habits also change considerably over the course of long-term studies; therefore, 'it is difficult to directly conclude that lung cancer is related to the level of UPF consumption alone given it was only declared at the start of the study,' wrote Sam Hare, MD, a consultant chest radiologist at Royal Free London NHD Trust. 'The most obvious confounding factor here is smoking, which is well-known to cause a greatly increased risk of lung cancer,' wrote Adam Jacobs, MD, executive director and strategic consultant, biostatistics, Ergomed. 'If people with high UPF consumption smoked more than people with low UPF consumption, then that difference in smoking could easily lead to the observed results,' he said. The researchers' efforts to adjust for smoking was limited by the use of only two categories (current/former smokers and nonsmokers) and the use of self-reports, he said. Study Has Merit, but More Work Is Needed There was ample justification to conduct a study on the link between UPF and lung cancer, as prior evidence on this association was limited and inconsistent, said Jamie Garfield, MD, professor of thoracic medicine and surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, in an interview. 'Given the global rise in UPF consumption and the high burden of lung cancer, clarifying this relationship is important for public health and cancer prevention strategies,' said Garfield, who was not involved in the study. Strengths of this study include the large, well-characterized population, pathologic confirmation of lung cancer, and comprehensive adjustment for confounders such as smoking, diet quality, and demographic factors, she said. The findings of a statistically significant association between higher UPF intake and increased risk for lung cancer (including both NSCLC and SCLC), were not surprising, as similar associations have been observed for other cancer types and chronic diseases, Garfield told Medscape Medical News . 'However, the magnitude and consistency of the association across subgroups, and the observation that the risk persisted after adjustment for smoking and diet quality, are notable and reinforce the plausibility of a direct link,' she said. The findings were limited by the observational design that prevents conclusions of causality, especially from unmeasured smoking intensity, said Garfield. Additionally, the single dietary assessment at baseline only may not capture dietary changes over time and could lead to misclassification of UPF intake bias, she noted. Other limitations included the use of a validated food frequency questionnaire not designed to align with the NOVA classifications, and the use of a mainly non-Hispanic White study population, Garfield said. Despite the limitations, the study findings are worthwhile and have potential implications for clinical practice, Garfield told Medscape Medical News . 'They support dietary counseling to limit UPF intake as part of cancer prevention,' she said. However, 'Further research in more diverse populations and with repeated dietary measures is needed to confirm causality and clarify mechanisms,' she added. This study was funded by the Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China, and received grants from the Chongqing Talent Plan, Chongqing Shapingba District Technological Innovation Project. The researchers disclosed no financial conflicts of interest. The Science Media Centre commentators disclosed no financial conflicts of interest.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lilly launches Mounjaro pen in India at $160 for starting dose, stepping up Novo rivalry
By Rishika Sadam and Kashish Tandon (Reuters) -Eli Lilly on Wednesday launched the easy-to-use injector pen of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro for 14,000 rupees (nearly $160) for its starting dose of 2.5 mg in India, stepping up competition with Novo Nordisk. Lilly said in June it received approval from India's drug regulator for its once-weekly Mounjaro Kwikpen, two days after Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy in multiple dose strengths in a similar pen device. Mounjaro Kwikpen is available in six dose strengths — 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg — with pricing calculated for a month's supply. The smallest two doses are priced at 14,000 and 17,500 rupees, respectively, and the 7.5 mg and 10 mg doses cost 22,000 rupees. The 12.5 mg and 15 mg doses cost 27,500 rupees, the company said. "If we look at how the highest doses of Mounjaro and Wegovy are priced, it appears (that) Mounjaro's pricing is attractive and competitive," said Vishal Manchanda from Systematix Institutional Equities. Wegovy's smallest doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg cost 17,345 rupees a month, and its highest doses of 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg cost 24,280 rupees and 26,015 rupees a month, respectively. Lilly began selling Mounjaro in India in late March for diabetes and obesity in 2.5 mg and 5 mg vials. Both drugs have seen strong demand since then, with sales in July doubling month-on-month. The drugs belong to a class of therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that help control blood sugar and slow digestion, making people feel fuller for longer. ($1 = 87.6650 Indian rupees)
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Using AI to Track and Treat Allergies
Hi, it's Karoline in Singapore, where hay fever is very common. Now a new AI-driven program led by a public hospital here is trying to build a database to better understand the condition. But before I tell you how and why ... I have hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, and am not always sure whether or not I should see a doctor, because my symptoms can be hard to predict. One morning, they could be too minor to bother a doctor, but turn very bad the next, with my breathing strained. I wish there was a doctor near me available 24 hours a day to prescribe medication or give me a treatment plan.
