Endometriosis is a cruel condition that affects one in ten women and is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK. It causes agonising periods, pain with sex, problems with bowel and bladder function and can contribute to infertility. Despite that diagnosis takes seven years on average and honestly? Thats way too long.

No one knows what causes endometriosis and there is no known cure however the earlier you catch it the more effective treatments can be. The first step to catching it is knowing something is wrong which is why discussing menstrual health is vital. Next we need GPs to understand more about our condition or refer us on to specialists. 33% of women have been told their symptoms are psychosomatic before subsequently been surgically diagnosed with endometriosis by a specialist.  

Endometriosis UK is a fantastic charity who support and advocate for women with Endometriosis encouraging research, running support groups and championing us at the highest level and after a very tough year for charities I want to support their vital work! 

For March, Endometriosis Awareness Month, I am planning a series of events in the sewing community to raise awareness about Endometriosis including Instagram Lives where I tell my own story and talk to other sufferers, competitions and giveaways for sewing a yellow outfit using #SewYellowForEndo and there will also be businesses offering discounts and donating percentages of their profits to Endometriosis UK. 

I want to start open and honest conversations about Endometriosis and menstrual health, I want to encourage people to open up to their friends, families and healthcare professionals if something doesn’t feel right. So if you want to support Endometriosis UK and the 1 in 10 women suffering with Endo right now then please support my appeal in anyway you can. 

Upcoming Events:

IG Live Series - Lets Talk About Endo

11th March; Charity Yoga Class - Yoga For Pelvic Health

My normal Thursday 40 minute yoga class will transform into a  charity class on 11th March where we will focus on hips, lower back and pelvis and yoga for pain management - no fixed payment required but donation encouraged! 

My Endo Story

I’ve always had extremely painful periods, I remember once at boarding school when I was 16 being taken to the medical centre and told that if that pain didn’t go away by the morning I would be having my appendix out as they just didn't believe it could be period pain! Over the years my periods became more painful and more irregular, sometimes making me pass out or unable to move. At university my periods disappeared for no discernible reason and yet I was still in agony every month. I was screened for PCOS but there was nothing there and so I was given strong painkillers and told to get on with it. This is all to common an experience for endo-sufferers. 

Even then I was lucky as my endometriosis was discovered when I had my appendix out at the age of 21. Although emergency surgery wasn’t a fun experience it did furnish me with incontrovertible proof that the endo was there - something for which many sufferers have to fight tooth and nail to get. I was referred to hospital gynaecology and endometriosis experts and we tried a range of hormonal treatments. 

However my periods got worse and worse, I started to be in pain three weeks out of four in a month and was often rendered completely immobile by the pain. 18 months on from my first referral I got the call and had endometriosis excision surgery in June 2019. It was an extremely successful surgery and over a year on no significant regrowth has occurred (which is amazing!!) but its still a condition I will need to think about for the rest of my life.

The fact is that many women have to go through an average 7 years of agony to get diagnosed and it's terrible. How many women will go their whole lives not being believed about their pain, being told its normal or 'part of being a woman' to suffer? This year I want to shout about menstrual health and wellbeing and support EndometriosisUK, an amazing charity who support 1 in 10 woman. Let's end the stigma around menstrual health and getting talking about Endo. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.