It wasn’t long after Jen had her first period, that her mum, who had had a hysterectomy due to her endometriosis, took her to the doctors knowing something wasn’t right. But Jen was told she was ‘one of the unlucky ones’ who experienced heavy periods and prescribed the pill. It took another 22 years for Jen to finally get a diagnosis, and by then the impact on her organs were devastating.

Hannah was diagnosed with endometriosis when she was 14. Despite an early diagnosis, a lack of understanding from teachers and her peers made it difficult to navigate life at school. In addition, the question of how endometriosis might impact her fertility has been on Hannah’s mind since she was a teenager, and has impacted her dating-life and relationships.

It took Zara eight years to get a diagnosis of endometriosis. And even then, it took a fertility nutritionist and a privately paid for laparoscopy to get the diagnosis. ‘I’d explained my symptoms over and over again, only to be told these were ‘normal’ period pains.'

Hannah was in her early twenties when she was told that the excruciating pain she was feeling during sex might be linked to endometriosis. But it would take several more years before she was finally given a diagnosis and even then, the information she was given was close to none.

From her early teens Becks struggled with very painful periods. Then a couple of years ago, things started getting increasingly worse. Becks spent months trying to get her GP to listen to her and take her seriously. When she finally managed to get a referral to a gynaecologist she finally got some answers: she has endometriosis. But the journey did not end there.

For years, Rey was asking her GP to help her figure out what was going on with her body. It wasn’t until she started doing her own research, that she learned about endometriosis and adenomyosis. Armed with this new information she demanded a referral and finally got her diagnosis.

Alice was 10 when she first started having her periods. Straight out of the gate they proved troublesome. She was suffering from extremely painful periods and would miss 3-5 days of school every cycle. It took 15 years before Alice finally got her diagnosis: endometriosis.