Loose Women’s Judi Love has opened up on on her ‘unbearable’ battle with Endometriosis.
The comedian, 44, who was diagnosed with the condition over 20 years ago, has now detailed the ‘physical and mental strain’ it has on her.
She told the Mirror: ‘It took me about five years to get a diagnosis, and the average time is even longer – as long as nine years. For women, our pain is often not always taken seriously, so symptoms are just put down to having bad periods.
‘At the time, it wasn’t spoken about much, so when I received my diagnosis I honestly didn’t really know what it was, but the effect on my life, my physical and mental health, was sometimes unbearable.
‘I think it’s so important that people are starting to have more open conversations about endometriosis and the impact it can have, as well as pushing for diagnoses, because not having that pain recognised or acknowledged is really difficult.’
Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus.
Loose Women’s Judi Love has opened up on on her ‘unbearable’ battle with Endometriosis
The comedian, 44, who was diagnosed with the condition over 20 years ago, has now detailed the ‘physical and mental strain’ it has on her
It’s a common condition that affects around 1 in 10 women and adolescents of reproductive age.
Symptoms of Endometriosis can include pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during or after sexual intercourse, heavy periods, infertility, and fatigue or low energy.
The chronic condition can affect the ovaries, fallopian tubes, tissues that hold the uterus in place, the outer surface of the uterus, the lining of the pelvic cavity, and the space between the uterus and the rectum or bladder.
Endometriosis is not an infection, contagious, or cancer. With the right treatment, many of the issues it causes can be addressed.
Endometriosis can start at a person’s first menstrual period and last until menopause.
Healthcare professionals sometimes advise those with endometriosis not to delay having children because the condition may become worse with time.
Previously opening up on her own experience on Loose Women, Judi confessed that it took her roughly seven years to be diagnosed with the chronic disease.
Claiming that the pain was unbearable, Judi said: ‘It took me about seven years to be diagnosed from about 17 up until about 25 even.’
She told the Mirror: ‘I think it’s so important that people are starting to have more open conversations about endometriosis and the impact it can have, as well as pushing for diagnoses, because not having that pain recognised or acknowledged is really difficult.’
‘I mean, even thinking about it, the pain that comes back to my mind, because you’re getting to that stage, you’re having periods, your bodies changing, you’re not really sure, and then I just remembered I had really heavy periods and really bad pains.’
She continued: ‘And I mean pains to the point where I’d be in bed for a couple of days, I didn’t want to eat, I’d be vomiting, and then it got to a stage where it was affecting work.’
‘It (also) got to a stage where I ended up in A&E because it was so bad, it was so heavy, you know they do the normal protocol, “could you be pregnant?” you know all these other tests that you should be doing because you have an infection and all these things.
‘And they would just be like “oh it’s just a bad period, take some paracetamol and hopefully that will help”.’
Judi also detailed her struggle with getting pregnant and revealed she had to go back to her doctors several times after mentioning she suffered from ‘really bad periods’.
She said: ‘I was with a partner, a long-term partner at that time, and I was thinking about having children, and I just wasn’t getting pregnant.
Claiming the pain was unbearable, she added: ‘ (I had) pains to the point where I’d be in bed for a couple of days, I didn’t want to eat, I’d be vomiting, and then it got to a stage where it was affecting work’
‘So I decided to speak to my doctors and mentioned about (my) really bad periods and I had to go back several times.’
She continued: ‘For women, especially women of colour, women as well anyway, our periods and pain is not really taken as much.’
‘So I think that had an impact. And finally, after months and months of going back, I got referred to a gynaecologist and then I had a laparoscopy, where they go inside your stomach and have a look, and then they found that I had Endometriosis.’
She revealed: ‘I never really knew what it was, but it really impacted me emotionally.’
You can call the Endometriosis UK helpline for free, confidential support at 0808 808 2227.
