Hello! I am walking 8,000 steps a day in July to raise money for Endometriosis UK. This is a charity very close to my heart as I have suffered daily with the disease for an incredibly long time!

Here is my story:

I started my period at quite an average age of 11, it has always been very painful and heavy. Although, I was told by a lot of people that unfortunately that's just the way it is and all women experience the same as I do. I went on the contraceptive pill at 13/14 which didn't make any positive impact on my period pain at all and actually made my mental health deteriorate. I came off the pill at 18 as it was all getting a bit much and I felt that it had no real benefits for me.

The past 2 years have been the hardest when it comes to my period. I have been collapsing, being sick, having to take supplements whilst on my period to get my iron levels. This was due to how much blood I had been losing and because the constant pain made me feel so sick that I couldn't eat as much, meaning i had been losing out on vital nutrients my body needed. Once I had started fainting due to the pain is when I started to get worried and reached out to a doctor who recommended the pill. However, due to the decline of my mental health again and getting exceedingly anxious about my health I didn't want to make it worse. With choosing the pill, i felt that eventually I'd have to face the problem again anyway if i ever wanted to have children so it'd be best to nip in the bud now.

I was referred to a gynaecologist in November 2022 after relentless blood tests and doctor/hospital visits where I was told I wouldn't actually get an appointment until March 2023. So, in the mean time, I was put on countless medication for the pain and blood thinners such as; acetylsalicylic acid, diclofenac, co-codamol, aspirin etc. None of the painkillers I have been prescribed have worked, which meant that sometimes i felt like i was left with no other option than to double dose :( .

I think I must've spent upwards of £100 on prescribed medication if I was to total it all lol, I want a refund!

I went for an initial ultrasound in March which showed there could be signs of endometriosis, as she could see the lesions around my uterus but needed to do an internal examination and an MRI to check for deeper trauma to the organs.

My MRI was a few weeks later and I received confirmation that endometriosis was present on the 9th May 2023.

Luckily my diagnostic process wasn't aslong as some other women that struggle with endometriosis. However, I feel that because I wasn't aware of the symptoms or the disease at 12 I wouldn't have known any different if that makes sense. If I had been aware, that may have saved me from 8 years of struggling with my periods.

I will be undergoing my operation to remove endometriosis on the 14th July so will be doing double steps on some days to compensate for my recovery days!!!

If you are unable to donate, please share my story!

All updates will be posted on my Facebook!