I’ve known endo from a young age. Watching my mum and older sister crippled in pain every month, with limited answers to why. One day my mum handed me a pamphlet explaining the disease. The opening line read ‘You’re most likely to suffer from endometriosis if your mum or sister has it.’ I chose to deny it. I took the pill from the age of 14, but still struggled with heavy periods. When I was finally ready to have children the wheels started to fall off. Major fertility struggles and agonising periods meant the obvious step was a laparoscopy. This confirmed the seemingly inevitable – widespread, severe endo. It also meant undergoing IVF to have a baby.
Two kids later, I’ve been trying to manage the disease in between pregnancies. The pain wipes me out most months and leaves me bedridden. Nausea, cramps, shooting leg pains, headaches, fatigue, the list goes on. And that’s just when I’ve got my period, I find ovulation extremely painful too. So I’m debilitated most of the month. I know that I need another surgery to see what’s happening inside, but with no long-lasting, holistic treatment, I feel hopeless at the prospect of continued diagnosis. This is why I’m humbled to join Endometriosis Australia as an Ambassador. Women suffer in silence believing their periods are normal. Their pain is minimised and stigmatised as if they’re being ‘dramatic’. I want to see meaningful investment in research which could help break the chain of suffering, to help women know they’re not alone!
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