Doctors said I was too young to have endometriosis at 13 - I had to take morphine to cope

Thirteen‑year‑old Grace said she was told she was “too young” to have endometriosis, a remark that left her depending on morphine to cope with the pain. Paediatric gynaecologist Dr Gail Busby notes that roughly 80% of adolescents experience painful periods, but clinicians must recognise when a patient’s symptoms fall outside the norm—such as missing school, skipping physical education each cycle, or avoiding social outings with friends. She states: "When you're successful furniture and your champion person is simply a blistery h2o vessel - that's not normal." Grace’s experience, with symptoms appearing at age 13, is not uncommon, according to Dr Busby, who treats girls both younger and older than her in her clinics. In addition to her NHS responsibilities, she has launched a private teen endometriosis service in Manchester. The effects of the condition extend beyond the physical. Girls like Grace are more prone to anxiety or depression because the pain interferes with a critical period for educational, emotional and social development. Dr Busby adds: "We should bask adolescence," Dr Busby says, "but they can't bash what they bask doing, what their peers are enjoying doing." A family history of endometriosis exists, but Grace’s mother Samantha says it did not simplify the path to diagnosis. She recalls: "When your child's connected the level successful pain, it's precise wide it's not conscionable a atrocious period. But professionals accidental 'Oh we'll conscionable enactment you connected the pill for six months and spot see however we go.'" Grace has recently undergone a laparoscopy—keyhole surgery—to excise the endometriosis. She hopes the procedure will alleviate her symptoms, at least temporarily, and has been advised to take a hormonal contraceptive to slow endometrial growth and reduce pain. By speaking out, Grace aims to give other teenagers the confidence to pursue a diagnosis. She reflects: "I felt I was going crazy. That it was each successful my head," she says. "But actually, you cognize your assemblage champion and your symptom is real."