Woman suffering from endometriosis was misdiagnosed with ‘period pains’

The condition affects millions of women around the world

Instagram (Karlie Wilkinson)

A woman suffering from endometriosis was mistakenly told that she was simply going through “period pains”.

Karlie Wilkinson, from New South Wales in Australia, was diagnosed with endometriosis when she was 19 years old.

However, when Wilkinson voiced her concerns that her symptoms could be a sign of something more serious than menstrual cramps or a bad diet, doctors failed to acknowledge them.

Endometriosis is a very common condition that affects as many as 176 million women and girls across the globe, according to the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

In spite of this, many cases often go undiagnosed.

Symptoms of endometriosis can include painful cramps, unusually long periods, a heavy menstrual flow, bowel issues, nausea and discomfort during sexual intercourse.

The debilitating condition can also cause infertility.

Wilkinson believes that more can be done to raise awareness for people who are affected by endometriosis.

She recently set up a petition on change.org to bring the issue to Greg Hunt MP, the Minister for Health and Sport in Australia.

“[Endometriosis] is as common as Diabetes yet our government and health care ‘professionals’ across the globe struggle to recognise it as a genuine illness,” she wrote on the petition.

“It is often referred to as a ‘silent epidemic’.”

Wilkinson explained the agony of living with endometriosis and the injustice she feels as a result of the condition not being recognised alongside other common conditions such as diabetes or asthma.

“Please provide more funding to find a preventive treatment/cure,” she continued.

“We need funding and education so that we get the support and medical care that we deserve.”

Wilkinson has received an amazing response to her petition, which currently has 111,305 signatures.

That’s not all. Hunt personally responded to the petition, writing: “This condition should have been better acknowledged and acted upon long ago but today we are taking action so the struggle that women face will no longer be silent or their battles private.”

He announced earlier this month that the Turnbull Government in Australia will be creating the first National Action Plan for Endometriosis to provide support for women who struggle with the medical condition.