Courtney Innes endured 14 years of “unbearable” pain before finally receiving a diagnosis
Courtney Innes was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis aged 25(Image: Sumbitted)
A woman has spoken out about years of “unbearable” pain and medical dismissal before finally being diagnosed with severe endometriosis. Courtney Innes, 28, from Childwall, first began experiencing symptoms at just 11, when she started her period.
What followed was more than a decade of debilitating pain, leaving her frequently unable to attend school and struggling to live a normal life. Despite repeated visits to her GP, Courtney said her symptoms were consistently dismissed as “normal” period pain, leaving her feeling “disheartened” and ignored.
It was not until she was 25 that Courtney received a diagnosis of stage 4 endometriosis. By then, a 12cm cyst was blocking her uterus, the disease had affected her bowel and diaphragm, and her appendix had to be removed.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, causing severe pain and, in some cases, fertility issues. It affects an estimated one in ten women worldwide, yet diagnosis times in the UK average between seven and ten years. For Courtney, it took 14.
Courtney, a tattoo artist, told the ECHO: “Growing up with endometriosis was incredibly difficult. I was missing school every month because of the severity of the pain. I was often lying on the floor in the foetal position just crying out in pain.
Courtney would often miss work due to severe pain(Image: Courtney Innes)
“My mum didn’t understand what it was, so she was taking me to the GP, back and forth, for years. I was just told it was normal, it was just my hormones – they just brushed me off. The cramping would start the week before and last until a week after. It’s still the same now; the pain is on another level.
“I was made to feel like I was being dramatic, like it was all in my head. My friends were starting their periods and they were never in as bad a state as I was. I used to think, ‘why is this happening to me?’
“It’s like you’re sitting still while the world is moving around you. I miss work every month, so it’s a loss of income as well.”
From the age of 13, Courtney was prescribed various forms of the contraceptive pill in an attempt to manage her symptoms, but said the pain returned “ten times worse” when she stopped taking it.
Over the years, she attended A&E multiple times and was even misdiagnosed with appendicitis. She said being repeatedly sent home without answers was “disheartening”. She also developed “toasted skin syndrome”, a condition caused by prolonged heat exposure, after years of using hot water bottles to cope with the pain. She added that the burns from the hot water bottle were “less painful than the endometriosis”.
‘Toasted skin syndrome’ caused by years of using heat to combat pain(Image: Courtney Innes)
The condition continued to affect her into adulthood, forcing her to cancel plans, miss work and plan her entire life around her cycle.
It wasn’t until 2021, after carrying out her own research, that she first raised the possibility of endometriosis with her GP. She was eventually referred to the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where her first surgery, in November 2023, confirmed the presence of endometriosis on multiple organs, including her uterus, pelvic wall, appendix and diaphragm.
Courtney said: “I was overwhelmed. I cried my eyes out. It was there the whole time. I wasn’t being dramatic; it was real.”
However, she experienced little relief following the procedure, and she finally underwent a second procedure at Liverpool Women’s Hospital on February 11, 2026.
The eight-hour operation revealed the full extent of the disease. Courtney was diagnosed with stage four “deep infiltrating” endometriosis, the most severe form, which had spread extensively throughout her body.
Courtney post-surgery(Image: Courtney Innes)
Surgeons found her organs had fused together and discovered a 12cm cyst blocking the view of her uterus. The disease had also affected her bowel and diaphragm, and her appendix had to be removed.
Courtney said: “When you wake up and find all of that out, it’s like a wave hits you. To think it got to that extent and it took so long to diagnose is hard to comprehend.”
Endometriosis has no cure, and even after surgery, the condition can return. Treatment typically focuses on managing symptoms through medication, hormone therapy or further surgery, meaning many women face a lifelong battle with the disease.
Despite the challenges, Courtney is now using her experience to raise awareness. She is channelling her experiences into artwork, creating tattoo designs inspired by endometriosis and the stories of other women, turning her pain into a powerful form of awareness.
Some of Courtney’s tattoo design illustrating women’s own experiences with endometriosis(Image: Courtney Innes)
She said: “I wanted to visually show what [the pain] feels like. I also started creating designs based on other women’s experiences, and the response has been incredible. I wanted to make it more impactful so people who don’t understand the condition can see it in a different way. It’s empowering.”
She hopes to eventually turn the designs into tattoos once she has recovered from surgery.
Courtney is also calling for greater awareness and education around the condition, particularly in schools.
What is endometriosis?Endometriosis is the name given to the condition where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body.Each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape.It is a chronic and debilitating condition that causes painful or heavy periods.Around 1.5 million women in the UK are currently living with the condition. Endometriosis can affect all women and girls of a childbearing age, regardless of race or ethnicity.Every month a woman’s body goes through hormonal changes. Hormones are naturally released which cause the lining of the womb to increase in preparation for a fertilized egg. If pregnancy does not occur, this lining will break down and bleed – this is then released from the body as a period.In endometriosis, cells like the ones in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body. These cells react to the menstrual cycle each month and also bleed. However, there is no way for this blood to leave the body. This can cause inflammation, pain and the formation of scar tissue.Other symptoms include pain during and after sex.Endo can also lead to infertility, fatigue and bowel and bladder problems.
Source: endometriosis-uk.org
“It’s not spoken about enough. It should be part of sex education,” she said. “There’s more research into things like men’s baldness than endometriosis. It’s a condition that affects fertility. I don’t know if I can have children now.”
Her message to other women experiencing similar symptoms is clear: trust yourself and keep pushing for answers.
She said: “It’s not normal to be in this much pain and we shouldn’t have to put up with it. Never think you’re being dramatic. It’s hard enough as it is without being told you’re pretending. The biggest advocate for yourself is you.”
Anyone who wishes to find out more about Courtney’s tattoos can do so here.