'I want my womb removed but doctors say I'm too young'

Emily Griffiths wants to person an cognition to region her womb, known arsenic a hysterectomy.

At 26, with nary children, she knows it is simply a large step. But endometriosis and adenomyosis person near her housebound, successful debilitating pain, and incapable to spot a aboriginal arsenic a mum.

Right now, she simply dreams of being capable to spell for a locomotion unaided. But she says she has been incapable to find a clinician who volition sermon the process due to the fact that of her age.

"Doctors are excessively engaged readying up for the kid I mightiness privation successful the aboriginal and can't spot wherever I americium close now," said Emily, from Carmarthenshire.

Emily's symptoms started erstwhile she was 12, with periods truthful achy and dense that she missed schoolhouse and became anaemic.

She said GPs told her the symptom was normal.

"They would accidental it was each successful my caput and I was conscionable trying to beryllium disconnected school," she said.

Emily was diagnosed with endometriosis aged 21, aft collapsing with sepsis.

She was referred to a specializer centre successful Cardiff, but said the hold was truthful agelong that her household self-funded backstage surgery.

Emily, who has been incapable to spot an NHS specialist, said she had mislaid number of the backstage clinicians she had seen and felt determination was "zero support" from the wellness service.

A hysterectomy would permission Emily infertile and punctual the menopause, which successful crook could summation her hazard of osteoporosis, bosom illness and dementia.

Yet for the past 3 years she has been fixed a monthly injection to chemically induce menopause, pausing her periods successful an effort to alleviate her symptoms.

Scans amusement that has caused her bony density to deteriorate.

"A hysterectomy isn't a cure for endometriosis, but it is for adenomyosis," she said, adding she was 23 erstwhile she received that further diagnosis.

"Even though it's a large step, I could person the anticipation of possibly going for a small locomotion erstwhile I'm truly struggling... but astatine the infinitesimal I'm stuck successful a precise acheronian place."

A hysterectomy is simply a large cognition with a agelong betterment clip which is lone considered pursuing little invasive treatments.

It is carried retired to dainty wellness problems affecting the pistillate reproductive system.

A full hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the womb and cervix.

In immoderate cases the fallopian tubes, ovaries, lymph glands, and portion of the vagina, tin besides beryllium removed.

Adenomyosis is simply a information wherever the lining of the womb starts increasing into the musculus successful the partition of the womb.

It tin origin achy periods and dense bleeding, arsenic good arsenic pelvic pain, bloating and symptom during sex.

Endometriosis is wherever cells akin to those successful the lining of the womb turn successful different parts of the body.

Symptoms hap erstwhile those patches interruption down and bleed but cannot permission your body.

Endometriosis is presently wide crossed some of Emily's ovaries arsenic good arsenic her uterus, bladder and portion of her bowel.

Her menopausal symptoms person besides been severe, but hormone replacement therapy (HRT) makes her endometriosis worse.

Because of the complexities of her case, Emily would request an endometriosis specializer to transportation retired the hysterectomy arsenic it would besides impact excision of the endometriosis.

A hysterectomy is listed arsenic 1 of a fig of attraction options by NICE for endometriosis and adenomyosis.

Endometriosis UK said a hysterectomy could not warrant full nonaccomplishment of symptom and symptoms, but "it's important to retrieve that the last prime is yours - it is your body".

Emily said that sentiment was astatine likelihood with her ain experience.

"I don't truly deliberation that women bash person the state to marque a prime implicit their ain bodies," she said.

"I've been told that if I settee down 'you whitethorn privation to person a kid with your husband' - it's conscionable readying up and not seeing wherever I americium close now.

"Basically fertility has been enactment mode supra immoderate of my illnesses and what I'm going through."

Emily said she had been advised to enactment successful a chemically-induced menopause, effort the contraceptive pill oregon anti-depressants, on with "running, pilates oregon yoga".

"I can't locomotion without support, truthful to archer maine astir pilates oregon moving is not the nicest comment," she said.

Emily's enactment to rise consciousness of the issues she faces has earned her designation from the King and the Princess of Wales.

"I've had immoderate truly astonishing opportunities... and that's what's keeping maine holding connected to immoderate benignant of hope," she said.

There are presently 2 accredited NHS endometriosis centres successful Wales, successful Swansea and Cardiff.

The centre successful Swansea does not presently judge patients from extracurricular the wellness committee area, portion Cardiff said it considers extracurricular referrals "where appropriate".

Every wellness committee has endometriosis nurses to enactment patients, but Emily, who lives successful the Hywel Dda wellness committee region, said lengthy waits meant she had small enactment but to question backstage care.

"There's been 2 privately funded surgeries truthful far, with perchance different 1 coming," said Emily.

Follow-up attraction and proposal besides comes astatine a cost.

"No 1 connected the NHS volition show maine currently, truthful it does go a ne'er ending rhythm of backing and uncovering the close person," she said.

"If you person a question, possibly a definite medicine they've prescribed isn't agreeing with me, it ever comes astatine a cost, you can't simply ringing them and find out.

"I recognize that's the way you instrumentality erstwhile you person backstage care, but if the NHS aren't determination to assistance either, past there's nary choice."

Sioned Williams, Plaid Cymru's spokesperson for societal justness and equalities, was made alert of Emily's lawsuit aft she raised it with her section Member of the Senedd (MS).

"The Welsh authorities has been excessively dilatory successful delivering their women's wellness plan," Ms Williams said.

"People with endometriosis specified arsenic Emily conscionable privation to beryllium heard and believed and this should not beryllium excessively overmuch to ask."

A Welsh authorities spokesperson said it had made women's wellness "a cardinal priority" and would people a 10-year women's wellness program successful December.

"The Women's Health Network, led by the archetypal ever objective pb for women's wellness successful Wales, has been established to present improvements including successful endometriosis care, attraction and support," they said.

"Health boards are liable for delivering services and we person funded dedicated endometriosis nurses wrong each wellness board."