Mother fights to have endometriosis listed as a disability

Natalie McKee is among 1.5 million women who suffer from endometriosis.

It is a condition which is often either misdiagnosed or, due to lack of knowledge, can go undiagnosed for several years.

However, its effects can leave sufferers infertile, in chronic pain and at times unable to carry out daily tasks and functions – some of which can be as simple as getting out of bed.

The 31-year-old, from Hebburn, has launched an online petition calling on Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt to have the condition recognised as a disability.

The mum-of-three said: “It was after the birth of my son Cameron my symptoms started to get worse.

“My periods were heavier and more irregular.

“I’d always had heavy periods but the pain increased and I was eventually send for a laparoscopy.

“It was discovered I had a cyst on my ovaries but there was no mention of endometriosis. I was sent away with paracetomol.

“A year later I went back to the doctors as the pain wasn’t getting any better, I was sent for another laparoscopy and it was then I was diagnosed with endometriosis.”

Natalie was given medication for the pain and went on to have a second child, Shardeh. However, the pain returned soon after and she was once again backwards and forwards to her doctors in a bid to find a solution. Smear tests also began to result in abnormalities which led to nine months of treatment for CIN1,2 and 3.

Natalie, who works as a machinist and a Juice Plus promoter, went on to have a third child, Lily-Mae. In 2012 she underwent a resection of the lining of the womb after suffering from endometrial ablation and a hernia repair.

However, the pain continued and eventually, after trying injections used for patients with breast cancer, doctors agreed to her request for a hysterectomy.

She added: “I was sick and tired of feeling not my best, which is why I opted for the hysterectomy thinking it would help. It did, I was pain- free and I was eventually able to return to work.

“But two years later, the pain started to come back, so there really is no quick fix.

“I am scared that in time I will feel like I did 10 years ago and that’s not what I want. People have no idea how having endometriosis can affect your whole life, from looking after your kids and yourself and holding down a job.

“There have been times when I have been found lying on the bathroom floor in severe pain and it can also affect your relationships.

“I was lucky in that I was able to have children but for many women with endometriosis, it can leave them infertile.”

In the past year Natalie, through her nutrition business, she has been in contact with others who suffer from the same condition.

This has led her to launch an online petition to have endometriosis recognised as a disability.

She said: “I want to get endo recognised as a disability and be the voice for other endo sisters so that if you cannot work due to pain then there will be help out there for us.

“I am sick of it being shrugged off like it is a common cold, it needs to be recognised for what it is and people need to be made more aware.

“Children can even develop this condition once their periods start.

“Our disease is incurable and it’s a life changing thing to deal with so please sign and help us.”

For more information or how to cope living with the condition visit www.endometriosis-uk.org.

•To sign the petition visit: www.change.org/p/rt-hon-jeremy-hunt-endometriosis-awareness-and-recognise-endometriosis-as-a-disability.

Endometriosis is a condition in which cells similar to the ones found in the lining of the womb are found elsewhere in the body.

Each month these cells react 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. The condition causes painful or heavy periods and can also lead to infertility, fatigue and bowel and bladder problems. Endometriosis can affect all women and girls of childbearing age and can only be diagnosed by a laproscopy, where a camera is inserted into the pelvis via a small cut near the navel.

The condition can have impact a woman’s life in a number of ways including chronic pain, lack of energy, depression and/or isolation, problems with relationships/sex life, difficulty in fulfilling work and social commitments and inability to conceive. There is no cure. But treatment options include surgery, hormone treatment and pain relief.