‘When I got the diagnosis there was a sense of relief’

Siobhan McGowan is walking this distance to represent the average of 7.5 years it takes for a woman to get an endometriosis diagnosis.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

It is a long-term condition that can affect women of any age and can have a significant impact on their life.

Siobhan was 26 years old when she was first referred to gynaecology to explore the chronic pain she was having and only received an official diagnosis in March last year, seven years later.

“I had laparoscopic surgery to get the diagnosis and that was after seven years of going back and forth to the hospital.

“My son Eoin is now 14. I had an emergency c-section when he was born and it was after that I started experiencing pain.

“Around eight years ago I was trying for a second baby and nothing was happening. My pain began to get worse, I went to my doctors and they began investigating it.”

Siobhan said the pain was initially put down to irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions before it was recognised as a gynaecological problem years later.

“Often I was made to feel like it was a phantom pain and was brushed off because a lot of the tests that were being done aren’t conclusive. Endometriosis can only be properly diagnosed through laparoscopic surgery as it can’t always be seen on scans.”

Siobhan said she struggled with her quality of life and mental health while she was waiting for a diagnosis.

“It affects everything. The pain I had was extreme. I had to take a lot of time off work and couldn’t do a lot of the things I loved doing, like working out. I avoided socialising as well because I was constantly in pain.

“It really took a toll on my mental health because I was made to feel like it was all in my head.”

Siobhan said she pushed for the surgery to get an official diagnosis.

“The recovery from the laparoscopic surgery was really harsh, it took me to the start of this year to recover from it. I think that once I got the diagnosis, and found out it is attached to my pelvis and the outer wall of my stomach, there was a sense of relief.”

Siobhan attends a monthly clinic in Altnagelvin to help her manage her pain. She also attends a local support group and has sought out alternative therapies.

“The only other way forward is surgery to take away what they can. The recovery would be much worse for that and could be more detrimental.”

Siobhan said she has a great support network in her husband Paul and family.

She can also rely on her best friend, who is a personal trainer, to help her devise work outs that she is capable of doing.

Siobhan will be walking 7.5km every day in aid of Endometriosis UK until September 1.

Siobhan hopes to raise awareness of the condition, but also to help raise funds for the charity to help support more women.

She would also like some of the funds to be used to provide education programmes about women’s health.

“The charity had been due to hold a 7.5km walk in April but that was cancelled due to Covid. I decided, now that I am more able, to walk 7.5km every day until September given the length of the journey I have been on.”

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/siobhan-mcgowan