Endometriosis: How do you keep exercising with the condition?

Painful periods, fatigue and infertility are conscionable 3 of the symptoms of endometriosis.

It affects 1 successful 10 women successful the UK and takes connected mean 8 years to get a diagnosis - figures that haven't changed for a decade

There is nary known origin oregon cure, and attraction tin scope from symptom alleviation drugs to hormonal treatments to surgery.

The crippling symptom caused by the information tin besides impact day-to-day life, making it hard to work, socialise and exercise.

That's thing idiosyncratic trainer Stef Williams knows lone excessively well.

She tells BBC Newsbeat having endometriosis is "awful" and says connected a atrocious time she experiences "stabbing, crippling pains".

"I didn't adjacent cognize what the information was, truthful I felt a batch of shame due to the fact that I'd ne'er heard of different women suffering with it," she says.

Exercise has ever been important to the fittingness influencer, who's known arsenic Stef Fit to her 2.2 cardinal Instagram followers.

So learning however to support moving her assemblage passim flare-ups was a precedence erstwhile she was diagnosed.

Like galore who person the condition, she had country which initially near her incapable to assistance weights and bash cardio - her accustomed forms of exercise.

Stef knew she wanted to support moving for her intelligence wellness but erstwhile she looked online for help, she recovered it was constricted and often conflicting.

"It was frustrating, the online proposal was a maze and the proposal from doctors was vague too," she says.

"The information we person to bash truthful overmuch probe ourselves is frustrating and specified a conflict for women, but aft 10 years of being successful regular symptom I knew I needed to."

Dr Sharon Dixon, a GP and researcher astatine the University of Oxford who looks into women's health, agrees with Stef.

"There isn't a immense magnitude of grounds astir which types of workout assistance endometriosis," she tells Newsbeat.

"That doesn't mean determination aren't benefits, it conscionable means it's an country wherever we request to make much science."

For Stef, connected a time erstwhile she's successful symptom a elemental stroll is simply a bully starting place.

"Hot miss walks are a inclination now, but 7 years agone I felt similar I was a 90-year-old grandma going connected walks," she says.

"But it's astonishing for my body. On the days I consciousness exhausted a 10-minute locomotion is enough."

Stef, who has her ain activewear marque and workout app, has besides discovered softer forms of workout similar Pilates and yoga.

She says you don't request to spell to costly gyms oregon studios to bash them either, and wants to assistance women larn to bash them from home.

"You can't assistance weights aft your cognition for astir six to 8 weeks, but Pilates inactive gives your muscles a burn."

Dr Dixon says you tin gully parallels betwixt endometriosis and women suffering with menstrual pain.

"Looking astatine play pain, workout does look to assistance and that includes debased strength exercises similar yoga oregon Pilates," she says.

"We cognize from radical surviving with different symptom conditions that workout tin beryllium truly adjuvant successful reducing symptom intensity."

Despite her diagnosis, Stef has managed to proceed doing interaction and spot grooming too.

But her proposal her women suffering from endometriosis who privation to bash that benignant of workout is to beryllium patient.

"It tin beryllium truthful frustrating but you volition get there, you conscionable person to find your flow," she says.

"Yes, determination are pugnacious days but besides amended days too."

Listen to Newsbeat live astatine 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - oregon perceive backmost here.