"It's chronic, it's debilitating and it needs to be taken more seriously"
Around 1.5 million women in the UK are currently living with endometriosis but it can take up to eight years to diagnose
A Harrogate woman has said she's been suffering with the relentless pain that comes with endometriosis for years and is calling for the disease to be taken more seriously.
Endometriosis is where cells, similar to the ones in the lining of the womb, are found elsewhere in the body. It can cause a chronic and often debilitating pain as well as heavy periods.
If left untreated it can lead to infertility and bowel and bladder problems.
Sarah-Lou Harper, who has two children, has it and says she was "lucky" to get her diagnosis in four years.
"You're just told it's part of being a woman, heavy periods and that kind of thing. You have to keep pushing and advocate for yourself and tell them something is not right," she said
"It's frustrating because you think if you'd been diagnosed sooner, if you'd been listened to and taken more seriously, would it have got to the severity that it has?"
A petition to increase funding for research into Endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) will be debated in parliament today (1 November). It's calling for more funding, to enable for new, extensive and thorough research into female health issues.
It was due to be debated in October but was postponed following the murder of Sir David Amess.
The petition received 101,910 signatures.
Recent research shows that there is now an average of 7.5 years between women first seeing a doctor about their symptoms and receiving a firm diagnosis, according to Endometriosis UK.
The condition can be found through a key hole procedure called a laparoscopy, but even then it can be hard to find the endometriosis cells.
Sarah-Lou finally got her laparoscopy which found she had endometriosis on her bladder, womb and bowel. She had to wait another three years to have it removed.
She said: "I had my surgery earlier this year and I hoped it would've worked but they haven't got it all. The surgeon doing it left a lot of it in there simply because they weren't the best person to do it. I've been referred to the specialists at Pinderfields but I can't help but think if I'd been sent there sooner I wouldn't have had to deal with this pain.
"I don't want anyone else cutting me up doing these surgeries if they're not the best person for the job. I can't just keep having them. They're having a massive impact on my life, my ability of being a good mum and my business.
"For it to be such a debilitating illness, it's chronic it doesn't go anywhere and there is no cure. Treatment is all hormonal and it messes with your body and your mental health.
"There needs to be more research and for women to be taken seriously."
Each month endometriosis reacts in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape.
Around 1.5 million women in the UK are currently living with the condition. Endometriosis can affect all women and girls of a childbearing age, regardless of race or ethnicity. The impact can also be felt for life.