I hope talking about fertility struggle helps others facing similar issues

RTE star Tracy on endometriosis & difficulty trying to start family

RTE 2FM host Tracy Clifford has bravely opened up about struggling with fertility issues.

It doesn’t mean your fertility journey is over

TRACY CLIFFOR ON RTE RADIO YESTERDAY

The 43-year-old recently revealed she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, sharing that she and her fiance Mark had difficulties trying to start a family.

Tracy told Miriam O’callaghan on RTE Radio 1 that she hopes her experience will encourage other women to find out if they have the condition.

Endometriosis is defined by the HSE as “a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places such as the ovaries, the lining of the tummy and fallopian tubes”.

She told Miriam: “After all these years of trying, that was the missing piece.

“And it’s not silent, though. Like, we’re calling it silent endometriosis it means you’re not in screaming pain every month. It’s very loud, it’s affecting your fertility.

“Through my research I discovered that 47% of people who have unsuccessful fertility journeys, it’s endometriosis. People think you have to be in pain, and you really don’t. It’s completely nuanced, really.

“There’s so many different areas and levels of endometriosis that we just don’t know about.”

Tracy, right, first told her story last year in an interview with the RTE Guide and then shared her experience on Instagram.

She added: “The amount of people that contacted me afterwards was unbelievable, men as well.

“I know a lot of people who have contacted me and told me that they have endometriosis but they did go on to have successful pregnancies. I love hearing stories like that.

“For me, it might happen, it might not happen, but for people out there who have no success at the moment with fertility, I would actually just really ask people to ask their doctors or ask their GPS about endometriosis.

“It doesn’t mean that your fertility journey is over, not at all.”

The broadcaster also encouraged people to join the Endometriosis Association of Ireland.

She said: “If I could help somebody today talking about fertility or endometriosis and how painful it is and how we need more information in our healthcare system and how we need to talk about it more.

“And maybe, you know, if somebody’s going through a journey and they’re not being successful, maybe endometriosis, that could be one of the issues.”