Amy, 31, from Needham Market, Suffolk, says she was told her pain must be down to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or anxiety. She feels like she was “medically gaslit”.
“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.”
At 27, she was finally diagnosed with deep infiltrating endometriosis affecting all her pelvic organs.
The condition occurs when cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body.
It affects about one in 10 women in the UK and can cause severe pelvic pain, heavy periods, difficulty getting pregnant, fatigue, low mood and pain during or after sex and when going to the toilet.
She has had several surgeries, including one done privately, with one surgeon remarking that her pelvis “looked like a bomb had gone off” inside.
Despite these procedures, the endometriosis continues to grow inside Amy.