As the month of March races away, here in the UK we’re finally seeing some sunshine and blue skies.

March is Endometriosis Action Month and this year for 2025 I’m donating 10% of every sale to Endometriosis South Coast via Work for Good.

In this very candid blog I want to share with you some of the reasons why I chose this charity and why it’s close to my heart. This was a tough email for me to write, and it’s not strictly about beads! But I know that so many of my customers and beading friends are women, so I hope you’ll find it relatable.

With as many as 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth being affected by this illness, it’s likely you have friends who have it, or maybe even have it yourself. I have several close friends who have experienced endometriosis. Each of them has been impacted in different ways.

Endometriosis can cause severe pain and is commonly linked with infertility.

• The prevalence of endometriosis in women with infertility can be as high as 30–50%.
• Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK.
• Endometriosis affects 1.5 million women and those assigned female at birth, a similar number of those affected by diabetes.
• On average it takes 8 years from onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis.
• Endometriosis costs the UK economy £8.2bn a year in treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs.
• The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no definite cure.

Stats from Endometriosis UK.

One of the reasons that Endometriosis Action Month is so important to me is that I have been suffering with some of the symptoms of endometriosis for many years. This has been issues such as bloating and IBS, painful periods and ovulation, brain fog and fatigue. When I say bloating, this is to the point of looking 6-7 months pregnant. A few years ago a lady in the post office asked me when the baby was due!

My periods are so painful that walking and moving about is difficult; I find it hard to do much more than lie on the sofa for the first two days. Not ideal or always possible with a small child and a business to run. And definitely no beading takes place!

These symptoms have been added to in recent years with pelvic pain and regular ovarian cysts, dysuria (finding it painful to pee!) among other fun symptoms.

Taking control

About three years ago I sought help from my GP. Despite lots of different tests, looking at different areas and organs, I have been left feeling fobbed off at times and no closer to finding out why I was in pain. I’ve made drastic changes to my diet to help; reducing refined sugar (which adds to inflammation), as well as wheat and processed foods, which are known triggers for endometriosis.

This year, after a pelvic ultrasound showed a possible adhesion between my uterus and ovary, I decided to go private to finally get some answers. I feel very fortunate that at this time I was able to explore this route – I know that it’s not possible for everyone.

Getting a diagnosis

I spent some of my hard-earned money on a private MRI  in March 2024 (man, those things don’t come cheap!), which although wasn’t conclusive, made my doctor suspicious of endometriosis and showed up a condition called adenomyosis. This wasn’t something I was aware of before, but it’s often referred to as the ‘evil sister’ of endometriosis. It is a thickening of the wall of the uterus and symptoms include painful and heavy periods.

The only way to diagnose endometriosis for sure and to treat some of the issues I was experiencing, is a laparoscopy. This is keyhole surgery where the surgeon can see what level of endometriosis you have (if any) and treat it by cutting away the tissue.

Fun fact: the current NHS wait time for this is 8-12 months. I took the very difficult and costly decision to have this done privately and had my surgery in June 2024. My surgeon had said that although she suspected I did have endometrisis, she expected it to be mild. As you can imagine it was quite a shock to both of us when she went in and discovered I had extensive endometriosis, affecting many different parts of my pelvic region and organs, including my liver and even a tiny spot on my diaphragm. My poor right ovary and right fallopian tube were involved in dense adhesions and stuck to the pelvic wall. Thankfully, my amazing surgeon was able to release these, and this made a huge difference to my comfort and pain!

Where am I now? (June 2026)

Unfortunately, the initial surgery for diagnosis showed that I required further surgery to remove the rest of the endometriosis, as it was too extensive.

I was placed on a waiting list for NHS surgery, which I had in July 2025. They were able to successfully remove all of the visible endo lesions and adhesions. Recovery took about three weeks. Now, almost one year on I’m doing a lot better in many aspects. I still suffer with very heavy and painful periods, I get a lot of headaches and brain fog but the general day-to-day pain and manyof the other symptoms are much better.

Over the past two years I’ve done a lot of work with my diet, have seen an acupunturist, which has been really helpful, and tried other remodies such as massage and reflexology. I’m hopeful that I can find a way to manage this condition the best I can moving forward, with minimal hormone and drug intervention.

Get help

If you have experienced any of the symptoms I have mentioned above, then I urge you to seek help from your GP. Many women report feeling ‘gaslighted’, fobbed off or have had their symptoms downplayed by medical professionals BUT we deserve answers and to not live in pain. There are some amazing charities and support networks out there, so do make the most of their knowledge and support to help you get answers. I’ve linked some of those below.

Thank you for reading this.

Chloe x

Getting help

If you’ve suffered any of the symptoms, I’ve spoken about, then I do recommend speaking to your GP. Remember, no one knows your body or your experience of pain like you do. The Endometriosis UK website has some amazing resources for helping you prepare for a GP appointment.

Endometriosis South Coast is charity local to me in the UK but their website and social media offers a great array of resources, tips and advice. They also provide monthly drop-in sessions.

Pain Relief

If you suffer from bad period pain I cannot recommend these patches enough!

They are essentially large plasters infused with essential oils that you can stick to your lower tummy – or where you have pain or cramps. They give almost instant relief.

The best part is you can sleep with them (unlike heat patches) and they’re discrete so can easily be worn under clothing.

Code Red

I love this book. I was recommended it a few years ago and it’s a game changer for anyone who bleeds. It’s helped me feel more in control of my periods, rather than them controlling me. Plus it helped me discover the best time of the month to deep clean the house, sort out my bead stash or when I’m likely to be at my most creative!