A WOMAN who dreamed of becoming a mum had to have a hysterectomy - after it took a decade and ten different doctors to get treatment for her severe endometriosis.
Jemma Mondon, aged 41, began getting painful, heavy periods in her late twenties, along with severe stomach pains.
She went to the doctor, but was told it was irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and was instructed to keep a food diary.
But Ms Mondon, from Kidderminster, said the symptoms worsened - to the point she walked at a 45-degree angle and limped from the pain.
She said she saw a string of different GPs and gynaecologists in the years that followed - and claims each one "dismissed" her.
After 10 years she sought a scan privately - which revealed endometrial tissue on her reproductive organs.
By the time she was operated on, the endometrial tissue had spread so widely that she needed a full hysterectomy - meaning she would never fulfil her dream of having children.
Ms Mondon said she found the decade-long experience so painful and traumatic that she considered ending her life at points.
She now wants to raise awareness and encourage women to "advocate for themselves" when they suspect they have a reproductive condition.
Ms Mondon, a finance manager, said: "My stomach would completely blow up and my periods were so heavy and painful.
"I was always tired and I couldn't even walk properly but doctors kept saying nothing was wrong and discharging me.
"I thought I was losing my mind - that life was just more difficult for me somehow.
"I ended up on antidepressants - I felt like I couldn't do it any more.
"After I finally got the surgery, it already felt like a waste - all I ever wanted was to be a mum and now I can never do that.
"Now I want to raise awareness and make women feel validated - I might not be in this position if they had listened."
She started going to the doctors about it 12 years ago and claims over the years she saw "six or seven" different GPs but "they kept saying there was nothing wrong with me".
She said: "I was tired all the time, and everything hurt.
"Several said 'keep a food diary and get over-the-counter Buscopan' because I told them I would get an upset stomach but I knew the problem wasn't IBS.
"I lost so much life because I couldn't go out and it cost me friends."
In 2022 she accessed private healthcare through work and got a scan - which revealed endometrial tissue coating her reproductive organs.
But after issues with the private health insurance she was then unable to continue with treatment there and returned to the NHS.
She claims she showed four different gynaecologists the scans - but still wasn't treated as they couldn't understand the issues.
She said: "I wondered how long I could bear it for - the week of my period each month, my back would go into spasm and I would lose the use of my legs. It was horrible.
"Eventually I joined a support group on Facebook and was told to go to BSGE, a gynaecological charity.
"I sent them my images and a consultant diagnosed me with stage four deep infiltrating endometriosis in my bladder and bowel."
She went in for a full MRI scan through BSGE which revealed extensive endometriosis on her bladder, bowel, vaginal rectal wall, nerves, and ligaments.
Finally her concerns were validated - but she was told by then that the damage done was too extensive and she needed a full hysterectomy.
After undergoing an operation on November 6 - where surgeons also removed endometrial tissue from the affected organs - she no longer feels the pain she had for over a decade.
But she said she feels its "all been a waste" as she suffered for so long - and now can never have children.
She said: "Growing up, when I was asked what I wanted to be, I didn't want a career - I just wanted to be a mum.
"Now I have to mourn the loss of the kids I can never have."
She is channelling her grief into raising awareness for endometriosis and telling her story so no other women go through what she did.
She said: "The signposting needs changing and people need to be advocating for themselves.
"And women need to be listened to and validated when they do advocate for themselves.
"There isn't enough research going into it - I truly believe if men could get endometriosis they would have found a cure by now."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here