‘It has been really horrific – I was on the verge of suicide last year’

An Aberdeenshire woman has spoken out about her 16-year battle with endometriosis, which affects an estimated one in 10 women.

Lauren Marcella’s symptoms began when she was aged just 11, and by 13 she was experiencing very intense and erratic bleeding.

That year, doctors had to act to remove a cyst from her ovary, almost losing the organ in the process, and she spent the next five years of her life in and out of hospital, forcing her to take time off school.

It was only when she was 18 she was officially diagnosed with the condition.

Lauren, now 27, of Westhill, said she is in pain “every single day”, to the point where she can struggle to walk.

“People think it’s just like having a heavy period but I struggle to walk,” she said.

“I spent most of last year on morphine just to get through the week.

“It has been really horrific. I was on the verge of suicide last year. There’s not a lot of treatment plans. You’re just left on your own.

“It was named by the NHS as one of the 20 most painful conditions to have.

There’s not a lot of money and the NHS is struggling.”

In terms of what Ms Marcella, left, would like to see come out of the newly-launched inquiry, she believes GPs need to look at the symptoms and not the statistics.

She said: “Young girls can be diagnosed as soon as they start their periods. A lot of girls are starting their period and the pain they’re living in is not normal. They shouldn’t be bleeding as heavily as they are.

“There needs to be more research done, lower waiting times for appointments, and GPs have to be armed with the information.”