Hormonal

Lana Launay

Lana Launay started suffering from endometriosis symptoms when she was 15. “The pain was so bad, I couldn’t stand up,” she recalls. “Sometimes I would even faint.” By the time Lana was 21, she had seen roughly 10 different doctors and specialists and endured multiple tests and ultrasounds which each came back with no clear diagnosis. She knew that something wasn’t right, and that her experience couldn’t just be normal. “It got to a point where it affected every aspect of my life – my work, my study, all relationships, my physical and mental health. I was defeated and depressed.”

Endometriosis is a condition where some cells, similar to those that line the uterus, grow in other parts of the body. People who suffer from endometriosis can experience a range of different symptoms including abdominal or pelvic pain, heavy periods or irregular bleeding, bloating, and anxiety or depression related to the pain. It’s estimated that 1 in 9 Australians assigned female at birth will experience endometriosis by their 40s, resulting in tens of thousands of hospitalisations each year.

Since all of Lana’s tests kept coming back as normal, her concerns were repeatedly dismissed. She was told that she was “sensitive”, “overthinking it” and must “just have really bad periods.” At the time, there wasn’t much information available about endometriosis; few were aware of the condition. Still, even today, it can take several years to get a diagnosis – the estimated average is about seven years. Think about that for a second. Seven whole