A woman who endured excruciating abdominal pain, vomiting and heavy bleeding for over 18 years was finally diagnosed with endometriosis – but only after seeing 20 different doctors. Dearbhail Ormond, 42, who lives in Surrey, first began experiencing agonising pain aged 16. The severe pain feels as though a rope around your stomach is being tied “tighter and tighter”, Ms Ormond explained. Despite collapsing on a number of occasions due to the intense pain, she told i she was faced with a variety of misdiagnoses, including irritable bowel syndrome. “You feel powerless and as though you are at the mercy of these doctors,” she said. “I remember my symptoms first starting when I was a teenager away on a family trip and I ended up spending a couple of days in a hotel room because I was so unwell. “I suffered a lot of abdominal pain, vomiting and very heavy bleeding, and that was the start of all the investigations. But no one mentioned endometriosis for years and years. “Due to the invisible nature of the disease, it is really difficult for the people around you to understand the pain.” Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It is a chronic condition which affects one in 10 women, and it takes an average of eight years to get a diagnosis. Symptoms include severe pain, especially during periods, pain during or after sex, and difficulty getting pregnant. Ms Ormond told i the pain has been so severe that she has collapsed a number of times as a result. On one occasion, she broke her sternum as she fell, and on another occasion, she cut her chin. At the age of 34, she was finally diagnosed with endometriosis when a surgeon discovered a large piece of endometriosis tissue in her ovaries. Over the years, Ms Ormond has undergone multiple surgeries to tackle the condition, with the most recent being a hysterectomy due to the unbearable pain. Despite being told by doctors she wouldn’t be able to conceive, Ms Ormond welcomed her baby daughter Aurelie three years ago. “I had been told that I either wouldn’t be able to have children or that it would be extremely difficult to have them,” she said. “When I became pregnant against all the odds, I felt disbelief because I lacked trust and faith in my body and my health.” Ms Ormond, who has worked in a number of commercial management and marketing roles, told i the impact of endometriosis has extended beyond her health – she claims she lost a
Job due to the condition following laparoscopic surgery. “There were no issues before I had the surgery and management had even discussed a potential promotion with me a few weeks earlier,” she said. “There had been no budget issues within the business and no performance issues with me. I strongly believe I was made redundant as a result of my health condition and the fact I needed time off because of it.” After her own experiences and challenges with endometriosis, Ms Ormond has founded a women’s health startup company called fren do to help other
Women with the condition. It is a screening and tracking tool for endometriosis and a community. It helps women validate their symptoms and articulate them to their GPs. She has also set up frendo@work , a workplace support programme to empower women battling endometriosis. New research carried out by fre ndo has revealed a quarter of women in the
UK have been pressured into returning to work when taking time off for health issues. One in seven women (14 per cent) said they had experienced discrimination in the workplace due to their health, such as being overlooked for promotions or being excluded from team activities. The research shows that many find it hard to speak up. Two in five of those who had been discriminated against (42 per cent) did not vocalise their concerns to the staff who were placing them at a disadvantage, and the same proportion did not tell their HR department. A third of women said they would feel uncomfortable talking about chronic health issues with a male manager, rising to 63 per cent if discussing a fertility or menstrual problem. Ms Ormond said: “I would have hoped employers would be more supportive of conditions such as endometriosis now, but sadly, our statistics are not showing that. Read Next Surgeons missed my severe endometriosis - so I spent £7k on treatment in Romania “Unfortunately, there is still too much stigma and shame attached to female health issues and a lack of openness and understanding in the workplace leaves many women feeling pressured or shamed when taking time off due to ill health and unable to speak out if they are being discriminated against. “Without the right support, chronic conditions such as endometriosis can prevent women from reaching their full potential in the workplace, not only affecting the employee but also the employer’s bottom line as a result of absenteeism or loss of productivity. “With more education, employers can be in a better position to support and retain staff by helping them access the tools they need to manage their health alongside their career.”