'I was told to get over it' Endometriosis sufferer had six miscarriages
Samantha Greig is joining a study to improve understanding.
A woman who suffered six miscarriages due to undiagnosed endometriosis is going to be part of a study conducted by Oxford University which aims to improve understanding of the disease.
It took 12 years of doctors appointments and operations for Samantha Greig, from Aylesbury, to eventually be diagnosed with endometriosis, the condition which prevented her from having a baby.
According to the NHS, endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to that of the womb lining grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
The condition, which is thought to impact up to 1 in 10 women in the UK, causes various symptoms ranging from abdominal pain and abnormal uterine bleeding, to miscarriages and infertility.
Endometriosis diagnosis
Early diagnosis can change the lives of women with endometriosis, allowing the condition to be monitored and symptoms limited before they progress too far.
However, a lack of understanding around the condition means that many women, like Samantha, go undiagnosed for years.
Samantha’s eventual diagnosis initially provided a sense of relief: "I spent until 2017 fighting with doctors that I had chronic pain, bleeding, problems going to the toilet... Just everything.
"I got told that I was a woman and that I should get over it"
"I got told I was obese, that it was phantom pregnancies, that I should get over it and its normal to bleed and that I was a woman and I should get over it.
"When I got diagnosed the first thing I thought, and the first thing I said to my husband, was 'It isn't in my head'. Everyone had been telling me it was in my head but there is something wrong and it isn't just me.
"I felt relief in one way, because the doctor said there were these conditions and they could do x, y and z to try and help.”
However, Samantha’s relief soon turned to devastation: “At the same time it was also heart wrenching. The more you read about it the more you understand how much control it has over your body and how many other conditions you will probably have.
“Then you have to come to terms with the fact that isn't what you wanted and how you wanted to be."
The time it took to diagnose Samantha has left her unable to work due to constant pain and bleeding.
Samantha wants to raise awareness of endometriosis
She hopes that participating in this study will raise awareness and understanding of the disease, to prevent women in the future having similar experiences: "Children at the menstrual cycle age would know what is right and what is wrong. They would go to their GP, their GP would listen and refer them to a hospital.
"If that is done at the right age and the right time then people won't be suffering down the line like they are now.
"Even if I only help one person not suffer from the mental, physical and emotion pain I have then it will be worth it."
The study will take place over a period of five years, surveying and taking samples from volunteer patients.
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