Hi! I'm Laura.

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Thank you so much for visiting my site.​I have Stage 4 Endometriosis, Fibroids, Adenomyosis, infertility and a whole lot of other health issues!

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​When I first started having periods at the age of 11, they were heavy and traumatic. I had no idea how to deal with them. I would suddenly bleed through clothing, I was vomiting, I had severe stomach and back pain. I was miserable and embarassed. My mum took me to the doctor’s surgery, where my GP tried me on stronger pain relief and tranexamic acid to reduce the bleeding. When this didn't work, I was put on the Loestrin (low oestrogen) pill. This allowed me to live an (almost) normal life.​

Fast forward to 2012 and my husband and I were thinking about starting a family. I stopped taking the pill and assumed it would be easy. I also assumed that the heavy periods I had started to experience were normal, and perhaps part of coming off the pill. The link between infertility and gynaecology issues were not something I had considered at this point.

I started to have extremely heavy periods, bladder pain, and migraines. I went to my GP several times and was put on various painkillers again. Even my GP said this was normal. I eventually went to see a gynaecologist at a private hospital, and a transvaginal ultrasound revealed that I had 3 small fibroids. My gynaecologist also suspected that my symptoms suggested endometriosis but confirmed that this could only be confirmed via surgery (laparoscopy).

I had my first laparoscopy in 2014. What followed was several years of IVF treatments, more laparoscopies due to adhesions (scar tissue) and an open myomectomy.​To date, I've had 10 surgeries including an open myomectomy to remove 3 fibroids. My left fallopian tube has also been removed (due to fluid leaking into my uterus). I've had 4 failed rounds of IVF.

My husband and I recently decided to end our fertility journey after 12 painful years and 4 failed rounds of IVF. It's been a very tough journey and a very hard decision to make. I am currently recovering from a hysterectomy.

​Last year, I handed in my notice at a job I loved. I had exceeded the number of sickness/absences allowed in a 12 month period. As a result, I ended up in several disciplinary meetings. Unfortunately, the sickness/absence policy excluded chronic health conditions and so I kept exceeding the number of absences. My absences were all related to my period issues but the policy meant that I would be treated the same as an employee who was off sick with different illnesses e.g. a cold and then a stomach bug etc. This had a severe effect on my mental health because I was in pain and trying my best to fight for my job. I ended up feeling suicidal. My husband convinced me to put my health first and leave. It was a hard decision but I had to put my health first.​

I am also a carer for my Mum who has Lewy Body Dementia. 

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I've been asked by friends, family and friends of friends about my symptoms and how I deal with them. I decided to create this site to document my menstrual health journey, and to hopefully help others who have similar issues.

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I live in England with my husband and our West Highland terrier Milo.

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I hope you find something useful on my site.

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​Laura x