We didn’t have to look far, with News photographer Rechelle Zammit and News senior photographer Megan Fisher both having it.
Here are their stories.
Megan Fisher
I was between 12 and 13 when I started realising that my periods were actually quite long and heavy compared to other people that were my friends.
I would just discover that they would keep getting worse, my pain was getting worse each time I had a period and as I got to like the age of 15 or 16, I got put on the pill straight away because of this.
As I got older, over the age of 18 or 19, my symptoms started getting worse.
It wasn’t just bad periods, I was very fatigued, my periods were lasting longer, I was bleeding between periods as well, and I was experiencing pain during sex, which is a big factor as well.
Overall, like I just felt unhealthy, I felt unwell.
The first couple of appointments I had with doctors I tried explaining, these are my symptoms and I think this is wrong, this is not meant to be happening, and it got brushed off like a bad period.
I was just told that I should just stay on the pill for the rest of my life until I wanted kids.
I felt alone, isolated and like I was the crazy one, like I was making things up.
Four or five doctors later, I found someone who believed in me, and we started the testing for it and booking myself in to get surgery.
Rechelle Zammit
I didn't know what endo was until I was, well, hired for The News, really.
One of our ex journos did a story on it, and I knew then kind of what it was.
Before that, I knew something was wrong when I was about 11.
Let’s just say as a Year 4 student, getting your period and no other girl having it, you know, you're different.
I just spoke to Megan about it, and before I knew it, I was looking for a gyno too and then, I was shortlisted (put on a waiting list) for six months.
It was getting bad at this point.
In past jobs, I’d struggle to get out of bed in the morning and being casual, we didn’t have sick leave, so you just don’t get paid.
In my first appointment, I was told I was too young to have endo, it was just hormone control issues.
I hadn’t gone through much of the symptoms I was going through before it was simply straight out, let’s just do an IUD (a birth control device).
I had to go see her next week.
I had no anaesthetic, and it was during a flare-up day, which was even worse.
I was getting nowhere, spending a lot of money, and I was sick of it.
• For their full stories and a group discussion with Megan and Rechelle, listen to the latest episode of Shepp Happens by heading to tinyurl.com/3rpfrwpf or finding it on Spotify.
• To find out more about endometriosis or what to do if you're experiencing symptoms, head to Healthdirect.gov.au/endometriosis or endometriosisaustralia.org.au
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