This January, I'm taking part in the Winter Walk for Endo to raise awareness and ensure everyone has access to the care they need.

Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition that affects 1 in 10 women; yet, on average, it takes over 8 years for a diagnosis from the first gp appointment.

Those suffering with the condition are often faced with challenges during diagnosis, treatment and management of endometriosis.

My story started 7 years ago, and the first gp I visited told me that this was a natural part of being a woman, and I'd get used to the pain.

When I started university, my condition worsened significantly. I began experiencing chronic pain in my hip, back and down my legs- stopping me from doing so many things we take for granted, from preparing and eating a meal to using my legs to walk.

In the last three years, I went to my gp practice about this problem over 15 times before somebody finally listened to me. No matter who I saw, I was given the same range of answers:

a. I think you just have a really low pain tolerance.

b. Maybe if you went to Slimming World the pain would go away?

c. Well you're not pregnant. So that's good.

If I hadn't watched my mum go through exactly the same process- the same symptoms, the same dismissal- before finally being diagnosed with severe endometriosis and adenomyosis, I would have given up a long time ago.

It shouldn't take this long to be believed, and it shouldn't have reached the severity that it did before action was taken. Those that have seen me at my worst know how truly devastating this illness is, and it affects those closest to me almost as much as it does me.

This January, I'm walking for Endometriosis because the simple act of walking is a privilege that this condition so often takes away from me. I'm walking for those that do not currently have that privilege. And I'm walking for women's healthcare: debilitating, chronic pain might be common, but that certainly doesn't make it okay.