Lifestyle: Endometriosis Awareness Month

March sees another Endometriosis Awareness Month - an entire month dedicated to spreading the awareness of a disease that effects women worldwide and causes infertility, miscarriages and daily abdominal pain. Here's my endo story...

Today I thought I'd share a very personal post with you. This post features a lesser known, more hidden fact about myself and something I've been less inclined to discuss in the past. Whilst it's hard for me to be open about this kind of subject and allow myself to be vulnerable, I think is something I need to share...

Worldwide EndoMarch and March into Yellow in association with Endometrosis Awareness Week , call for doctors and health services across the globe to recognise endometriosis and get a faster diagnosis for it's 1 in 10 sufferers. The symptoms for endometriosis may seem like your average women problems but ignoring them may result in infertility in later life. 

If you've experienced the following symptoms, it may be worth getting yourself checked out: 

• Heavy, long periods
• Bleeding between periods
• Extreme abdominal pain (even when not on your period)
• Severe cramping
• Fatigue
• Pain during/after sex
• Problems conceiving/infertility or miscarriages
• Some patients have experienced problems with their bladder or colon as a result of the condition

If you yourself have endo, you'll understand how hard it is to get taken seriously by doctors. As a teenager, I was convinced the extreme pain I was experiencing was normal pain but I later found out that no one's body should take you out like mine did. Nor should it be all year round, day in, day out.

As a seventeen year old girl, I was not provided the support or information that was required and had I not pushed to get it sorted, my pain would be even worse and my chances of having a baby - who knows? I still feel when I go to the hospital that my disease is not taken seriously and up until now I've never really shared this information with anyone, supporting the charity in my own quiet way. But I really think it is important to share this so that the odd 17/18 year old girl or maybe even older girls/women might read this and think - maybe it's not normal that I'm experiencing this agony all the time or maybe that doctor could of done more to help me.

After nearly two years of invasive, repetitive and unsympathetic hospital appointments and being shrugged off due to my age, I finally underwent my first laparoscopy confirming the endometriosis on my left ovary (something the doctor swore it could not be). Luckily, being younger, the cysts caused by this were removed, healed and I went a few years with relatively toned down pain. Now almost in my mid-twenties, I have undergone two operations for the condition but it took a hell of a lot of pushing on my part and another year of appointments and invasive tests to confirm the obvious. I am, however, one of the lucky ones who will hopefully get the help I need quicker, should the time come and I struggle to get pregnant. Though it took a long time and a lot of emotional distress, I got my diagnosis although they're still very quick to shrug me off. However, many out there will never know the damage to their body until they try to conceive as some symptoms can go completely unnoticed.

For me, the hardest part is the mental effects the condition has on you. As a 17 year old, being poked and prodded about by countless doctors and being told the chances of having a family may be limited certainly takes a toll on you. Especially when family members are telling you "not to worry about it". It's easier said than done. For me, it's the wait that's hardest part. My thought process for years was "what if no one will marry me?", "what the point if I have no future?". Thankfully, the online support system has been reassuring and a huge help.

You can help support endometriosis charities here and find further information about what causes it here. From Facebook and various social media platforms, I've found there are some amazing support systems for those who just have fears for the future or even those who have miscarried their babies or had hysterectomies as a result of their disease. Luckily for me, there are also some amazing stories of people who have gone on to have happy, healthy babies also. Endometriosis, though not curable as of yet, can certainly be managed if given the correct support and information. Mine is certainly not an extreme case, I am fully aware that I am very lucky to get off as lightly as I do but I feel it is important to get the message out there in an unlikely post to my usual.

As for my future, it may or may not feature children and a family and at this point in my life I'm not even sure I ever want children anyway. I'm certainly not ready right now but there will come a time when I'm pressured by doctors to start thinking about it. I'm not sure if I even want that anymore but I hope I get the choice either way, when the time comes.

If you have any questions/know anyone or think you might have it yourself, please feel free to leave me any comments - I'm happy to answer anything I can (though I'm certainly not a doctor!) . Please remember that they might try to convince you that you're over reacting or it's all in your head but please push - if you know something's not right, please don't take no for an answer. Help to raise awareness. And if you see anyone one wearing a yellow ribbon or clothing this month - you know why!

Thanks for reading!