Periods, Pain and Poor Mental Health
By Hannah Davies
Hannah Davies, Author
The house is clean, the food is cooked, and Belle Grech is ready for a great night of love and laughter. Tonight, she will be celebrating her sister’s birthday and seeing her family for the first time in weeks. The corona virus lockdown and busyness of everyday life has kept them apart and she misses them more than words can describe.
The doorbell rings and as the guests enter, the house beings to radiate with excited chatter. Suddenly, a sharp, fiery sensation shoots through Belle’s abdomen and sparks of pain rush through her body. She knows this pain well. It is agonizing. As Belle greets her family, she tries her best to pretend that nothing is wrong.
A few minutes later, her back begins to pulse with a dull ache and dizzying spells of nausea make it difficult to stand. She puts on a brave face but eventually, the pain becomes too much. She doesn’t want to draw attention to herself or ruin the day for anyone, so Belle quietly walks to her room, where she curls up on her bed and cries. This is not the first time excruciating pain has forced her to miss out on something important and her heart breaks even more because she knows that this time will not be the last.
For Belle, myself and almost 200 million women worldwide, this is what is means to live with endometriosis. It is lost time with family. It is days spent clutching a heat pack, wishing it would all just go away. It is pain. It is exhaustion. It is isolation.
This Endometriosis Awareness Month saw a surge in endometriosis related conversation. Major news outlets brought the symptoms of the condition to national attention and hashtags such as #EndoWarrior dominated our social media timelines. Overall, it felt like a step in the right direction. However, the conversation about the effect crippling chronic pain can have on mental health and is only just beginning.
Belle Grech
The link between endometriosis and mental health.
There is an inextricable connection between the symptoms of endometriosis and mental health concerns. In fact, according to Monash University, 68% of women believe that they needed more social and psychological support after being diagnosed with endometriosis.
This was no surprise to Belle, who is all too familiar with the anxieties and self-doubt associated with the condition. “When I was diagnosed, I was constantly thinking how my life was going to change. My first question was about my fertility, I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to have kids. I was worried that my quality of life was going to deteriorate. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to work or study the same. I was worried I wouldn’t be a good partner or daughter,” says Belle.
These concerns, and many, many more, are common within the endometriosis community. They articulate a deep uneasiness about the future which is amplified when endo warriors are made to feel misunderstood, confused and judged because of their condition.
But isn’t endometriosis just bad period pain?
Stereotypes and stigma are a major contributor to the anxieties and misinformation associated with endometriosis. The words, ‘just bad period pain’, ‘part of being a woman’ and ‘in your head’ circulate through homes, workplaces and schools throughout Australia. As a result, women who suffer from endometriosis are often left feeling that their experience is invalid and unimportant.
“The stereotypes make me so mad,” says Belle. “Endometriosis is the most difficult thing I have ever had to deal with, I wish it was just a bad period.”
A study published in the Feminism and Psychology Journal found that a major source of stress for women with endometriosis is feeling that others did not believe their accounts of pain and suffering. In particular, the study reported that many women felt judged and misunderstood by healthcare professionals, who often normalise endometriosis symptoms and discredit the experience as a mental problem, rather than a physical reality.
On her road to diagnosis, Belle recalls seeing countless GPs and gynaecologists who told her that her anxiety was making her feel sick and she needed a therapist. “This made me so angry because I know my body, and anxiety was not what was happening,” says Belle.
With this in mind, it is perhaps no surprise that it still takes approximately six and a half years to be diagnosed with endometriosis in Australia. “I think women’s health is topic that everyone walks on eggshells around. I honestly believe that’s where a lot of our mental health problems stem from,” says Belle. “If we weren’t made to feel like our illness was all our heads or that it was ‘just a bad period’, I think we would see a decrease in mental health problems.”
Isabella Gosling, QENDO Vice President
Smashing Stigmas
One woman who is working tirelessly to dismantle these stereotypes and bring the traditionally ‘taboo’ topics of women’s health to the forefront of conversation is QENDO Head of Operations, Isabella Gosling.
Isabella started experiencing endometriosis symptoms when she was just 14 years old. Every month, she would dread the arrival of her period, knowing that it was going to bring intense back pain, severe cramps, stained school skirts and high levels of self-consciousness. “Sometimes it was so bad that I’d just not want to go to school, but I loved school, so I had to power through and make it happen,” recalls Isabella. “It was such an anxiety inducing time.”
Six years later, Isabella was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis. Not long after, Isabella joined the QENDO team and has been committed to making a difference in the lives of those living with endometriosis ever since.
Last year, Isabella joined forces with QENDO President and Director, Jessica Taylor, to create the Let’s Talk, Period podcast, aimed at smashing stigmas and taboo topics, while empowering their community with reliable information and real stories. “I had no idea how to podcast when I started,” smiles Isabella. “People were asking for conversations, but I thought there was no way I could be the person to do it – why would people listen to what I have to say?”
Isabella has since proved that her story, and many others, are worth listening to. Boasting interviews with celebrated author and Triple J presenter, Bridget Hustwaite, psycho-sexologist Chantelle Otten and Paralympic swimmer Monique Murphy - just to name a few - the Let’s Talk, Period podcast is well on its way to building an inclusive and informative platform for its many loyal listeners.
Where to from here?
While QENDO and Let’s Talk, Period are breaking down barriers for the endometriosis community, Isabella recognises that we need to call for systemic, tangible change in order to start improving the quality of life and reducing mental health concerns of endometriosis sufferers.
“You can access a mental health plan in Australia, which can get you ten bulk billed visits with a psychologist,” says Isabella. “But I’d like to see more be done because endo can be really mentally draining. Having an accessible and professional support network could really make a difference.”
Isabella suggests increasing the number of bulk billed visits with a psychologist. “Even an extra two sessions would help to ease the financial burden, and it would create more opportunity to talk through things and ease the journey for a lot of people,” she says, sounding hopeful.
Until then, there is an important conversation to be had in schools, workplaces and homes across Australia. Endometriosis pain is real, and it is debilitating. It’s time to start talking about the effects it can have on our mental health.
This feature article by Hannah has been republished here with permission, and we thank Hannah for allowing us to share this incredible work with our community.
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