My biggest fear was I might not have kids
The TV presenter tells AMY PACKER about her tough struggle with endometriosis
AS THE star of Countryfile and The Wonder Of Britain, TV presenter Julia Bradbury is an expert about the natural world. But when it came to her own body, Julia had no idea anything was wrong until she went for a well-woman check up at the age of 35.
“I’d always had quite sore, heavy periods, from quite early on, but nothing off the scale,” says the 48 year old. “Some months it really felt bad. I would feel very demotivated and didn’t even want to get out of bed, but I just put that down to my time of the month.
“As far as I was concerned, it was just a bad couple of days in my cycle and that was normal.”
But the appointment revealed that Julia suffers from endometriosis, a little-known and incurable gynaecological condition that affects around 1.5million – or one in 10 – women in the UK. And, like many of those women, Julia had never heard of endometriosis before she was diagnosed.
In women with the condition, endometrial cells like those found in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body, and bleed in sync with the menstrual cycle. It typically affects other pelvic organs, like the bowel, bladder, ovaries and fallopian tubes, causing pain and inflammation and potentially leading to bowel and bladder problems. In some cases it can also cause infertility.
“I was at that stage in my life where fertility was on the radar and I knew I wanted children, so I was at a specialist clinic for my checkup,” explains Julia. “They did an ultrasound and explained they were 99 per cent certain I had endometriosis.
“I hadn’t heard of it before, but I immediately jumped to the worstcase scenario and thought, ‘Oh no, am I not going to be able to have children?’ As soon as I was diagnosed, the question of my fertility became more of an emotional burden than it had ever been before.”
Currently it takes an average of seven-and-a-half years from the onset of symptoms for women to be diagnosed. This is due to the complex range of symptoms and a lack of knowledge and awareness about the condition.
“I do think that because I went to a specialist clinic, they recognised what it was more than a GP might have done,” says Julia.
She adds that before that she didn’t sense there was anything horribly wrong. “I didn’t have the worst of the symptoms. For some people it’s debilitating. They’re in such agonising pain that they can’t move, and depression and mood swings can be another really big symptom. It’s not that they don’t feel like getting out of bed, they physically can’t.”
ENDOMETRIOSIS, although incurable, can be managed with pain relief, hormone treatments or surgery. For Julia, the best option was a laparoscopy – keyhole surgery to remove the endometrial cells – but this came with its own complications.
“As with any major surgery, there are risks,” she says. “You’re told that your bowel could be punctured and, if there’s any endometriosis attached to your fallopian tubes, they could be damaged.
“That’s a big cause of worry for you and your family. Then after the surgery you need five weeks of rest, which was and remains very difficult for me,” she says.
“I had to juggle some schedules and let people down who I’d made commitments to. I’ve been freelance throughout my career so, while I wasn’t working, I didn’t get paid. But I went to Rutland and checked in to the hotel of Mum and Dad and they looked after me.”
Four years later, in February 2011, Julia gave birth to her first child, Zephyrus. Then, in 2015, she gave birth to twins Xanthe and Zena. “I needed IVF the second time around due to a combination of factors. It could have been the endometriosis but also I’m an older mum,” she says candidly.
“My surgeon revealed that my case was acute, level four on a scale of one to five. Since my surgery, the symptoms have eased a lot. My periods became lighter and easier to manage, and the mood swings lessened as well. I now look back and think how different things could have been if I’d been treated earlier – and how things might have turned out if I had not been diagnosed when I was. Perhaps I wouldn’t have my children now.”
Julia passionately believes that much more needs to be done to support women with endometriosis, which is why she is supporting life savings company Standard Life’s partnership with Endometriosis UK to champion the needs of women living and working with the condition.
“I’ve always been very vocal and very public about my condition, as soon as I got my diagnosis, because not enough people know about endometriosis.
“People don’t like to talk about vaginas and uteruses and periods, but I think it’s incredibly important that more people do talk about these things. Not only so that women are more aware of their own symptoms and can be diagnosed sooner, but also so workplaces can be more open about these kinds of discussions and support female employees with their menstrual health,” she adds.
“It’s really valuable that we talk more about this, and lose the embarrassment and stigma. Hundreds of millions of women will be having their periods while you’re reading this article. We bleed! It’s not a secret, hideaway thing.”
Standard Life’s partnership with Endometriosis UK will form part of a broader campaign, in collaboration with other specialist partners, to champion those affected by invisible illnesses in the UK and highlight the challenges of living and working with a chronic health problem. For information go to endometriosis-uk.org or standardlife.com/sponsorship