'GP told me crippling pain was my body just growing - then I received diagnosis'
A teenage girl suffering from endometriosis has revealed doctors dismissed her crippling pain as her "body growing."
Bethany Smith, 19, began experiencing extreme pain in 2022 and had severe stomach pains that left her unable to move. She said that after ruling out appendicitis and a twisted ovarian cyst, medics told her the pain was her body 'getting used to' birth control.
Bethany has battled with the pain of the condition for the last three years – but says it was only after she went private that she began to be 'taken seriously' by doctors.
She said the symptoms began to take over her life, leaving her unable to go to the gym or go out on walks, as well as affecting her work as a car mechanic. She said: 'I was having to call in sick because I was bent over in pain. It was taking over my life.
'As a girl in male dominated workplace, you feel like you are not good enough already - and then to know I couldn't do certain things because I was constantly sore, and there was nothing I could do about the pain, really brought me down.'
Bethany said that doctors at Port Glasgow Medical Centre, where she attended to try and get help, only began to listen to her after she turned 18.
'It was ironic, because it was a male doctor who listened to me,' she said. 'All of the other doctors I had spoken to were female, so I thought they would be the ones to listen and understand, but they didn't really. I had been going to the GP for weeks on end, to the point I was having to go in nearly every two weeks for them to listen to me.'
Bethany was finally referred to a gynaecologist – but had to wait a year and a half for an NHS consultation which, when it happened in February, took place over the phone.
She was told that she would have to wait for 18 months for an MRI scan and, and that she should expect to wait up to three years for surgery. 'I just couldn't wait that long,' she said. 'I've been in pain for years, and no-one has taken me seriously.'
Within a week of turning to private healthcare, Bethany said, she was offered a consultation at the Ross Hall clinic in Renfrew – with a doctor she says was the best she had ever dealt with.
Two weeks later she was sent for a scan, which showed she had stage one endometriosis – and then, last month, she underwent keyhole surgery.
The disease, which causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside of the organ, affects one in 10 women across the UK and can cause severe cramps and heavy bleeding – as well as, in some cases, leading to infertility.
'I was only able to get this [private healthcare] surgery through a benefit I get in work,' she said. 'There are many women who won't be able to do that and who would have to wait in pain.
'I was only at stage one. Think about someone who has stage three endometriosis, or even stage four.
"Some might be girls younger than me, who will be told it's normal period cramps, when it's not. It doesn't matter if you want kids or not. You still want that to be your choice.
"You don't want it to be because someone hasn't listened to you, or because you've been waiting so long it's left you infertile.'
Following her surgery Bethany shared her experience in a social media post which attracted comments from hundreds of women across Inverclyde and beyond.
'I'm grateful that I was able to get this surgery, and I can now live the life I was missing out on,' she said. 'But I'm still angry for all of the people who have reached out to me who can't get any help. I know how they feel when they say they are constantly in pain and can't do anything about it, because that's the way I used to be.'
A spokesperson for Port Glasgow Medical Centre, where Bethany attended for NHS treatment, said: "We are unable to comment on individual patient cases due to patient confidentiality.
"It has recently been well publicised that there is often a marked delay for women in receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis. Early recognition and onward referral if appropriate from primary care is essential.
"Unfortunately, there is often a substantial delay in time from referral to assessment in secondary care from gynaecology."
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You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The big caveat is that many will not have tried to get an appointment if they thought they had no chance. The data shows only a minority of dentists are taking on new adult patients, and in Devon and the South West, hardly any are. 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