'I wasn't a drama queen - endometriosis is an incurable illness'

When Kynleigh Parker was told there was nothing wrong with her as she battled excruciating period pains, she began to believe she was "a drama queen".

Since the age of 13 she had suffered with symptoms, but as she entered her 20s, she knew it was not just in her head.

Determined to find an answer, Miss Parker, from Sudbury, Suffolk, demanded help and was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis.

It is an incurable condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the uterus grow elsewhere in the body, affecting more than 1.5 million people in the UK.

For Endometriosis Awareness Month, Miss Parker, along with two other women from the county, are keen to share the realities of this often debilitating condition.

As a teenager, Miss Parker was told by doctors her agonising periods were nothing to worry about and she was prescribed hormonal contraception to manage the pain.

The flare ups worsened as she got older, to the point where she would be "hysterically crying" with painkillers doing nothing to help.

Following one "really bad" bout, she was offered an ultrasound and internal scan.

"I came away from that and they said, 'You're absolutely fine, there's nothing wrong with you'," the 26-year-old explained.

"I thought maybe it was in my head, maybe I am a drama queen."

A gynaecologist later suggested it could be endometriosis, and in July 2022 a laparoscopy to assess her uterus confirmed it.

After some delays outside of her control and after freezing her eggs, Miss Parker had surgery to remove the endometriosis in January last year.

"I could never have prepared my body for that surgery," she said.

"I thought I'd feel rough for a week... it was five weeks later when I went back to work."

Miss Parker says it took seven to eight months until she "felt internally healed" and she is now 95% symptom free.

She explained she froze her eggs after doctors said her endometriosis may impact her chances of getting pregnant in the future.

While the condition does not necessarily cause infertility, according to Endometriosis UK it can cause fertility problems, but due to lack of research it is not fully known why.

"I'm trying to remain positive because maybe I'll be the person that doesn't need another surgery," she added.

"I'm really hoping nothing grows back."

Lorraine Clarke, 63, from Oulton Broad, similarly started to notice pain before, during and after her periods from the age of 15.

Birth control to manage the pain never helped and she was also misdiagnosed with an appendix issue.

Decades ed before Mrs Clarke demanded to see a gynaecologist.

They could not find anything wrong with her and she was also offered a laparoscopy.

"They had a look in my womb in three different areas and that's when I found out that I had endometriosis," she said.

At this point she was 41 - she had gone 26 years without knowing what was wrong with her as well as why she never conceived a child.

"I had a full hysterectomy and when I had my operation the gynaecologist came to my bed and said, 'Lorraine, did you ever wonder why you couldn't have any children":[]}