1. Let’s start with the classic: What’s your worst, funniest, or most awkward period story?

When my husband and I go to Fiji for our honeymoon and my period shows up the second we get off the flight!! Haha possibly the worst timing but we now just laugh about it and every holiday we have taken, I kid you not it shows up every time!

2. What have you demystified about your female body that you wish you knew when you were younger?

That period pain was normal! For years I believed that it was normal, no one in my family have bad periods so I don’t think anyone knew how bad mine were and I just assumed it was normal.

3. Have you been diagnosed with a women’s health condition?

Yes I have Endometriosis, I had surgery in July of 2020

4. What was your diagnosis experience like?

I was unaware at the time that I could have even been a possibility I just assumed I had bad periods and just dealt with the pain. However for a while I was constantly getting UTI’s I went to the doctor for this and she just put me on tablets to take after intercourse to stop my UTI’s happening. Looking back now I think that was my early signs that my period pains were not normal. Eventually I was moved to another doctor at my practice and when I started explaining the UTI’s and my bad period pain she said that going to a gynecologist is needed as she suspected I had Endo. Honestly if it wasn't for my doctor I don't know how long it would have taken me to go and see a gynecologist.

After my Endo surgery my husband and I started trying for a baby, we were told now that the endo was gone there will be no issues trying to conceive. Oh man how I wish I knew what we were getting in for. 2.5 years later in the middle of covid still, we decided to seek help from fertility associates, things moved pretty quickly as we were lucky enough to go privately. After all the injections, egg retrieval, finding out how many embryos made it and lots of mini procedures later it became time to get ready for our transfer. However, we were all in agreement that we should make sure my body was “ready” for the transfer especially with having endo. So one final surgery later I woke up and my surgeon said to me “Thank goodness we did that surgery” I had a septum and if we had done the transfer first the embryo wouldn't have survived. The tears that came after that relief but also anger is this why we haven't been able to get pregnant. We have had to go down the ivf route to find this out, I felt so deflated but so relieved at the same time. Anyway feeling hopeful, we did our transfer a few weeks later and less than two weeks after that I was pregnant with my baby boy, turns out I was horrifically sick at my 30th birthday party where we had 60 of our closest family and friends and I had to pretend I was drinking and not running to the toilet every 30 mins throwing my guts up haha! Now two years later we have a happy healthy little boy and its been the best experience ever!

5. How has your condition changed your daily life?

I'm an ECE teacher so before I had surgery and it was the week of my period it was hard I was always taking panadol or ibuprofen to help the pain. I actually had a colleague tell me I had Endometriosis before I was even sent to a gynecologist as she knew something wasn't right.

6. What symptoms made you think something wasn’t right with your body?

Yeah i ignored the period pain and the UTI’s and just assumed taking these tablets I was on was going to help fix things.

7. Have you tried anything that has helped you manage your symptoms?

I actually had a mirena put in after I had my son and it was a game changer for me, no heavy periods, no cramping. There is days where my period shows up and surprises me because I have had no pain that goes with it.

8. What’s one thing you wish more people understood about women’s health?

That there's so much to it! There can be so many things going on that you just have no idea what's happening.

9. If you could tell younger you one thing about your body, what would it be?

That your bad moods and period pain isn't your fault. Knowing that it will all be fixed one day and you'll soon have your precious wee baby in your arms

10. When your body feels hard to live in, how do you take care of yourself?

I have hot baths, watching a movie and chilling out with my family