One Camden resident, Emma Crane, bravely spoke out about her journey with endometriosis in order to help support the release of our report Living with Endometriosis in Camden which was published last month.
Emma’s story, which was recently featured in the popular and well-read London paper, Camden New Journal (CNJ) on page 13 in the 21st November issue will hopefully help other women with similar symptoms to come forward to seek diagnosis.
‘Before my surgery‘ Emma told the CNJ, ‘the pain had reached an excruciating level, where even standing upright felt impossible. Eating often triggered nausea, and sleep was elusive’.
She also found, which was echoed by many women who took part in our study, that there was ‘little understanding of endometriosis’ in the workplace, adding to feelings of isolation.
Since the report was published, we have recommended a series of changes to improve the lives of those with endometriosis in Camden (see below).
In the New Year, we expect to hear back from Camden Council and our health partners to find out which recommendations are to be adopted. We will keep you posted!
what did our report find?
- women with endometriosis are made to feel it’s all in their head. Women reported medical disbelief at every stage of their disease journey
- period talk is still taboo in many cultures
- period pain is viewed as psychological and associated with stigma
- this serious condition impacts on mental health as well as on physical health, including sexual health
- work life is affected
what changes did we recommend in Camden?
- improve menstrual health education across all of Camden’s schools
- make the condition better managed
- get the care right from the very beginning
- make care joined-up
- more understanding and care amongst health professionals
- local endometriosis patient groups
To read about these recommendations in more details please visit our website article.