In 2019 I experienced a really bad bout of thrush and it felt like it just wasn’t going away. After battling with about 8 different GPs they referred me to a private gynaecologist. A few appointments in and the gynae said she couldn’t find anything wrong with me. By this time I was experiencing excruciating periods - I couldn’t get out of bed for days and the pain was so bad I almost collapsed at work a few times. I also had sharp pain during sex and bloating! Then the pandemic hit and I chose to let it go. I felt like they couldn’t help me and thought I could just deal with the pain every month. In early 2021 I went for an MRI for my ulcerative colitis and to check my stoma. During my review with my gastroenterologist they said they saw something on the scan that needed gynaecological attention. So I went back to my original gynae and again, she just couldn’t find anything. She said it was all in my head and I should be able to deal with the pain because period pain was “normal”.
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So I chose to find another opinion. I went to my second gynaecologist in early 2022 and after a number of scans, they confirmed I had endometriosis. Since April 2022 I have been on a progesterone based medication to manage my symptoms while I wait to be referred to my NHS hospital in south London. My period symptoms are under control - I still experience pain during sex and intense bloating but thankful I no longer experience excruciatingly painful and heavy periods. This experience really opened my eyes to how we view gynaecological issues and conditions that largely impact people assigned female at birth. It’s a battle. I finally found an amazing gynaecologist who was invested in me and finding out what happened but it took 3 years and that’s pretty good going! It shouldn’t be normal to fight a healthcare system, it shouldn’t be normal to be in pain. Do not let your symptoms slide! Billie- @billieandersonx