Hormones, Hysterectomies and the Fight to Be Heard
Content note - This blog discusses endometriosis, adenomyosis, hysterectomy, peri-menopause, chronic pain, healthcare experiences, the gender pain gap, and gender bias in healthcare.
Whilst I refer to women throughout, this reflects my own lived experience and the language most commonly used within healthcare. I recognise that not everyone affected by endometriosis, adenomyosis, menstruation, peri-menopause or hysterectomy identifies as a woman. This blog is intended to be inclusive of all those affected by these experiences.
The views shared are based on my personal experiences and reflections and are not intended as medical advice.
Why I'm Sharing This Story
I have reflected a lot recently about whether to share this story with my clients and followers. I have come to the conclusion that not sharing it would go against my values and principles, both as a woman and a psychotherapist.
Remaining silent about experiences that have significantly shaped me, challenged me and taught me important lessons feels wrong. If my story helps even one person feel less alone, less confused, less ashamed, or more empowered to advocate for themselves, then sharing it will have been worthwhile.
So, here goes...
In March this year, I made the difficult decision to have a total hysterectomy and, for most of this summer, I have been away from work recovering. Now, 12 weeks post-op, after years of living with chronic pain, I am pain free.
Living with Endometriosis and Adenomyosis
In 2019, after years of symptoms and unanswered questions, I underwent a laparoscopy and was diagnosed with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a hormone-sensitive condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus. Symptoms can fluctuate in response to hormonal changes throughout life and, for many people, endometriosis can cause chronic pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, and significant impacts on daily life.
My symptoms included heavy and painful periods, pelvic pain between periods, and difficulties that significantly impacted my life from my early teenage years onwards. Despite numerous visits to my GP, referrals to gynaecologists and various scans over the years, I was repeatedly told that what I was experiencing was "normal".
I was advised to try virtually every form of contraceptive treatment available and was even told, as a teenager, "your symptoms will improve once you've had a baby."
WTF? Is having a baby a NICE-approved treatment option? I was a child! What about women who don't want or can't have children? Sadly, I’ve come across other women who were told this.
To also add insult to injury, around five years ago peri-menopause, in all her glory, came knocking at my door - I will save that particular topic for another blog or many!
Last year, my symptoms ramped up another notch and, once again, after asking to be referred, I underwent further gynaecology investigations and scans. This time, the results showed adenomyosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, often referred to as endometriosis' evil twin. Like endometriosis, adenomyosis is influenced by hormones, which is perhaps one reason why the arrival of peri-menopause made an already complex situation even more challenging.
The Hidden Challenges of Women's Healthcare
One of the most difficult aspects of this journey was navigating conflicting advice, misinformation, and the medical misogyny and gender bias that too often shaped my experience of healthcare.
From healthcare professionals, I had been told things like, "you shouldn't be experiencing the level of pain you're reporting", and that, because of my family history of breast cancer, I "shouldn't really be on HRT."
More recently, I was repeatedly told I was "too young" to be peri-menopausal despite experiencing many of the symptoms.
Furthermore, following a scan this year, I received a letter stating, "no concerning features had been found. This is reassuring," with no mention of adenomyosis. Yet it was the sonographer who had told me that adenomyosis was visible on the scan. It took about 6 months and a complaint to PALS for this diagnoses to be visible on my NHS App.
For someone living with significant symptoms and who eventually underwent a hysterectomy, being told everything was "reassuring" felt both confusing and deeply discounting. It left me questioning my own memory and understanding of what I had been told. Had I heard the sonographer correctly? Had I misunderstood? When information is inconsistent, missing or difficult to access, it can leave people doubting themselves at a time when they most need clarity and confidence in the care they are receiving.
What I have shared is only a drop in the bucket of the challenges within healthcare I’ve faced.
My Experience Is Not Unique
And my experience is far from unique.
According to Endometriosis UK, the average time to receive an endometriosis diagnosis in the UK is now 9 years and 4 months, meaning many people spend almost a decade living with symptoms before receiving answers or appropriate treatment. Recent data from the UK Parliament indicates that 43 percent of women wait more than five years for an adenomyosis diagnosis, while 26 percent face a delay of over ten years (2024). Systemic dismissal is highly prevalent too, with 80 percent of UK patients surveyed stating they felt dismissed or ignored by healthcare professionals throughout their journey.
Furthermore, anecdotally over the years, I have spoken to and heard countless women, both in person and through online support groups, who describe remarkably similar experiences. Stories of symptoms being normalised, concerns being dismissed, delayed diagnoses, and women having to fight to be heard come up time and time again. From being part of these groups, I have shockingly seen that the treatment woman receive varies significantly across the UK.
I consider myself an educated woman, yet I had never heard of endometriosis or adenomyosis until I was diagnosed. If I didn't know about these conditions, despite years of symptoms, how many other women are suffering without knowing what might be causing their pain and or what treatment is available to them?
After my endometriosis surgery, I was still experiencing significant pain and my surgeon mentioned that I may also have adenomyosis. Yet no further investigations followed until last year, when I advocated for myself.
Even my endometriosis diagnosis came about largely because of my own persistence. It wasn't my GP who first considered endometriosis. It was a sonographer during a scan who recommended I seek a referral to explore whether it could be the cause of my symptoms.
Changing the Conversation Around Women's Health
This blog isn't about criticising individual healthcare professionals or the healthcare system. However, it is about highlighting the gap between what should happen and what many women actually experience.
Women deserve to be listened to. They deserve timely investigations, accurate information, informed choices and healthcare that takes their pain seriously. They deserve to know that crippling periods, pelvic pain, hormonal changes and gynaecological symptoms are not simply something they have to "put up with".
If you are struggling with symptoms, trust yourself. Ask questions. Research. Seek answers. Challenge dismissive responses. If something doesn't feel right, keep advocating for yourself. Nobody knows your body better than you do.
If you love, live with, work alongside or care about a woman experiencing these difficulties, take the time to understand what conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, peri-menopause and menopause can mean in day-to-day life. Listen. Believe her. Support her.
What has struck me recently is how often these conversations are appearing in my therapy room. Whilst every woman's story is different, the recurring themes of dismissal, confusion, self-doubt and having to fight to be taken seriously are hard to hear and ignore.
Perhaps there is a wider message here for all of us. Women's health should not be a niche topic discussed only when problems arise. We need better awareness, better education and more open conversations about hormones, menstrual health, menopause and the conditions that affect millions of women. The more informed we are, the better equipped we become to challenge the gender pain gap, confront medical misogyny, reduce stigma and ensure women's experiences are taken seriously.
Knowledge is empowering. It helps us ask better questions, make informed decisions and advocate for ourselves and those we care about.
Because being heard should not require a fight.
References
Endometriosis UK, (2026). What is Endometriosis. Available at: Endometriosis UK
Endometriosis UK, (2026). What is Adenomyosis. Available at: Endometriosis UK
Endometriosis UK (2026). Endometriosis UK release new report highlighting alarming increase in endometriosis diagnosis times. Available at: Endometriosis UK
UK Parliament (2024). Women's reproductive health conditions. House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee. Available at: Parliament.uk
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