Amy Peckham-Driver, now 31, was just 14 years old when she struggled with period pains so severe they caused her to pass out.\u00a0 She asked her doctor at the time if it could be endometriosis<\/a>, but says she was told she was too young and was advised to take a birth control pill instead.<\/p>\n Endometriosis<\/a> is a debilitating condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere \u2014 causing pelvic pain, heavy periods, and at times, infertility. It absolutely can happen to a teen; As the National Library of Medicine<\/a> points out, \u201cThe majority of women report symptoms since adolescence.\u201d<\/p>\n Amy Peckham-Driver after surgery for endometriosis. But Peckham-Driver, who hails from the English town of Needham Market, tells the BBC<\/a> she was told her pain was from anxiety, or perhaps Irritable Bowel Syndrome. She said she felt “medically gaslit.”<\/p>\n “You know your health is disintegrating in front of you and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it, apart from being told to just take the contraceptive pill so you don’t have periods,” she told the outlet.<\/p>\n Peckham-Driver was finally diagnosed with endometriosis at age 27 \u2014 and when she underwent surgery<\/a> for the condition, her doctor told her her pelvis \u201clooked like a bomb had gone off.\u201d<\/p>\n Treatment for endometriosis is limited: medication may help alleviate the symptoms of the condition, but surgery \u2014 to remove the tissue adhesions inside the body \u2014 may also be an option. There is no cure, but sometimes the condition goes away on its own after menopause.<\/p>\n As for having children, although she froze her eggs, she says her supply is too low for IVF.\u00a0 “I never would have ended up in that position if I’d been diagnosed 10 years ago,\u201d she told the outlet.<\/p>\n Amy Peckham-Driver after undergoing a procedure to collect and freeze her eggs. Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Peckham-Driver has since founded the collective Let\u2019s Talk Women\u2019s Health Suffolk<\/a>, and shares her journey on social media<\/a> to help raise awareness about the condition.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what it’s like to feel completely alone in this journey, I know what it’s like to have to fight to be heard, and I know how much of a difference it makes to be armed with the right information when there’s no clear-cut route to getting better,\u201d she\u2019s written online<\/a>. \u201cThere’s still a long way to go, but the more people understand this ghastly disease, the greater chance we have of improving the way it’s treated, and the closer we are to kicking endo’s ass for good.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Amy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/a722aee1feeedc570b47e8e3826ad36e.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Credit: Courtesy Amy Peckham-Driver<\/p>\n![\"Amy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/672f3fe575c0849b2cff2a697725a500.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Credit: Courtesy Amy Peckham-Driver<\/p>\n