'My symptoms were ruining my life - it took years to get a diagnosis'
A young woman said her symptoms were 'ruining her life' before doctors diagnosed her with a painful condition. Sophie Richards said sometimes she didn't get out of bed 'for days at a time' due to her crippling periods, Yorkshire Live reports.
She said she would pass out from 'wrenching abdominal pain' and ended up having to go part-time at her job as her symptoms became so painful.
The 27-year-old endured the pain for five years before she was finally diagnosed with endometriosis at the age of 21. Sophie, from Yorkshire, said: "By that point I'd already spent the majority of my teenage life experiencing painful symptoms every time I had my period. READ NEXT: 'I thought I could do a better job - so I quit and opened my own estate agency at 20 with no savings' "Whether it was heavy painful periods, which often left me passing out from the wrenching abdominal pain, severe fatigue, painful sex, or intense bloating, my menstrual cycle was ruining my life." Sophie's story is not uncommon.
Endometriosis is known to affect around 1.5 million women in the UK - and many are left waiting nearly nine years for an official diagnosis of the condition, according to research that found health professionals often minimise or dismiss symptoms.
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