A woman who was left feeling paralysed during sex was told by medics the crippling symptoms of her hidden condition were simply 'part of being female'.
Emma Maxwell, 21, suffered from heavy periods during her teenage years - and whilst her friends dealt with theirs with ease, Emma battled severe bleeding, bloating, cramps, lower back pain, and exhaustion that left her bed bound for up to seven days at a time.
After often being punished by teachers who thought she was skipping school, Emma finally decided to go to her doctor when she was 15 years old to see if a diagnosis for her worsening condition could be found.
MRI scans and ultrasounds failed to show anything abnormal and Emma's doctor told her that bad periods were just a 'natural part of womanhood.'
Emma, from New Hampshire, America, was prescribed over 10 different birth control pills during the next three years which aimed to alleviate her symptoms however, Emma's pain only got more severe.
Conducting her own research, Emma discovered that her symptoms resembled those often associated with endometriosis - a condition where tissue which resembles the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Telling her doctor this, Emma was ordered to stop looking up her symptoms and 'let the doctors do their job.'
Visiting a gastroenterologist in 2018, Emma was finally diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and was put on medication to help with this.
Unfortunately, the medication once again made the pain worse and the diagnosis didn't explain her fatigue, back problems, and the excruciating pain Emma was suffering from during sex which was so bad that she felt paralysed. Even the thought of sex can cause Emma to experience shooting pains.
Feeling completely hopeless and convinced that she would never find the root cause of her pain, Emma began to suffer from depression.
In 2019, Emma decided to visit a gynaecologist and once more, she relayed her symptoms. The specialist immediately told Emma that he thought it could be endometriosis.
Shocked her GP had previously disregarded this, Emma discovered that endometriosis does not show up on scans and requires laparoscopic surgery - in which a small incision is made in a patient's abdomen and a tiny camera is inserted - to diagnose it.
On September 6, 2019, Emma was officially diagnosed with the condition.
She underwent further surgery to remove the abnormal scar tissue which has alleviated some symptoms. However, Emma is keen to point out that this isn't the miracle cure she expected it might have been and she continues to experience pain. Instead, Emma wants to use her experience to help others suffering to know they are not alone.
"My journey with endometriosis started when I got my first period aged thirteen," Emma said.
"When I got my period, I found myself living in the nurse's office at school. My teachers would even punish me for 'skipping' class.
"At this time, I noticed all of my friends seemed to get through their periods effortlessly whereas I was always suffering from pain in the lower back, pelvis, rectum and vagina. I had painful and irregular periods, cramps, heavy bleeding, bloating and fatigue.
"Aged fifteen, I decided to visit the doctor to talk about the pain I was experiencing. I was put on ten different birth control pills in the following three years which had little to no effect on me.
"My doctors told me that the pain I was experiencing was just part of being a girl.
"I was in pain all the time and I always looked like I was six months pregnant and I was unable to eat or drink without pain.
"Aged seventeen, I brought up the possibility of endometriosis to my primary care physician. I had stumbled across an article online and it seemed like all of my symptoms matched up.
"I was put on yet another birth control pill and was told I needed to 'stop researching my symptoms' and to just 'let the doctors do their job.'
"I lost hope in the doctors. I fell into the mindset that it was all in my head so my medical progress came to a halt for over a year.
"I felt hopeless - like my pain wasn't real and like I was just being over dramatic."
Emma booked an appointment with a gynecologist in September 2019 after experiencing further pelvic pain.
"The gynecologist immediately told me he thought I might have endometriosis," Emma said.
"I explained how I was tested by my primary care physician and it all came back normal. He then informed me that the only way to diagnose endometriosis was to have a laparoscopic surgery.
"My surgery two weeks later proved I did indeed have endometriosis - and quite a bit of it. I learned I had adhesions attached from my bowels to my ovaries, to my uterus and to the sidewalls of my belly.
"It explained why I had such severe constipation because my bowels were kinked and twisted due to the endometriosis.
"After years of doctors telling me to stop trusting my gut, I am so glad I kept trudging along. Now, here I am with a diagnosis of endometriosis which validates those years of pain.
"Sex and endometriosis is still a really tricky thing to talk about. At twenty-one years old, you think you are supposed to be able to have sex and that it's supposed to be enjoyable.
"With my condition it's just not an enjoyable experience for me. It sends me into the worst kind of pain I have ever experienced and literally paralyses my whole body.
"It's tough because I want to be intimate in that way but I just can't be. I've cut it out of my life for a very long time.
"I feel like less of a woman because I can't give that to someone. Even if I'm just thinking about it, it hurts."
Luckily, Emma's boyfriend Jake (22) has been overwhelmingly supportive of Emma's condition during their relationship.
Despite Emma's diagnosis, she still suffers from pain related to her condition and often walks with a cane when outside.
"The more people that I meet, the more I realise how widespread this is and how many people have to deal with this issue," Emma said.
"There really isn't enough awareness for a condition that affects one in ten women.
"I created my Instagram as a means for me to cope with my diagnosis, to spread awareness, to share my story, and most importantly, to let people know they are not alone."
