Essex teen suffering with endometriosis is raising awareness

Erin Hicks, 19, works as a barista in Chelmsford.

She was officially diagnosed with endometriosis at age 15 in 2020, but she had been battling the painful condition for six years since the age of nine.

Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus in other parts of the body.

It can cause chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during or after sexual intercourse, and infertility.

Erin says it is so painful, it feels like “barbed wire or scissors cutting my insides.”

Pain - Erin suffers from extreme pain and experiences other symptoms like severe bloating (Image: Erin Hicks / SWNS) Her endometriosis is so severe she was put on the contraceptive pill at age 10 to help regulate her periods and was placed in a medically-induced menopause at 16.

She has undergone three laparoscopy surgeries—a key surgery to diagnose endometriosis—with the final one also including the burning away of some of the defective tissue caused by endometriosis in the pelvic region outside the uterus.

The surgeries were an attempt to try and alleviate her symptoms, and Erin has a fourth one on the horizon.

Erin said: “At certain times of the month the pain is unimaginable.

“It is utterly soul destroying, and you feel totally powerless sometimes.

“By the time I was ten, my periods were so severe that I was put on the contraceptive pill—it’s been a constant struggle ever since.”

When she was just eight, Erin would get crippling ‘period pains’.

She says these were initially dismissed by doctors as heavy periods, but Erin now suspects this was the first stage of endometriosis.

By the age of ten, she was put on the pill in the hope it would temporarily stop her periods and lessen her pain.

Erin said: “It was obviously quite an extreme step to go on it at such a young age.

“Unfortunately though it didn’t do much to reduce the pain.”

Treatment - Erin has had three surgeries and several treatments to help with her symptoms and diagnosis (Image: Erin Hicks / SWNS) Between ages 16 and 19, Erin was placed in medically-induced menopause, which is theoretically reversible, in an attempt to alleviate some of her pain.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped her periods and her symptoms have returned.

Erin said: “The injections to medically induce the menopause helped for a while, but the symptoms always returned.

“I’ve just finished my last round of treatment, and my periods are as bad as ever.

“I’ve had five in two months, with heavy bleeding and constant pain.”

While Erin said she does have some pain-free days, she says more often than not she will be in some form of discomfort, while a significant part of the month she is in excruciating pain.

Erin said: “The pain is constant, like someone is slicing up my ovary area.

“This is what I’ve always known, so I don’t even know what ‘normal’ cramps feel like.”

Coming from a family with a long history of endometriosis, Erin is acutely aware of the genetic component but says it doesn’t make her journey any easier.

She says the impact on her life has been profound—she has to miss significant amounts of education and work due to her condition.

She has also had to delay her dream of pursuing a degree in policing.

Impact - Erin has had to miss significant amounts of education and work due to her condition (Image: Erin Hicks / SWNS) Despite these setbacks, Erin has become a voice for young women and girls facing similar struggles.

Through social media, she has connected with more than 200 teenagers dealing with endometriosis.

Erin said: “It’s a taboo topic, but it shouldn’t be.

“Periods shouldn’t be painful, and young people need to know what’s normal and what’s not.”

She advocates for greater awareness in schools and better policies, like Spain’s recent legislation granting period leave, which she believes the UK should adopt.

Erin’s experiences in the healthcare system have been a mixed bag.

While she now has a specialist team at Colchester Hospital who provide excellent care, she says earlier encounters were less supportive.

She said: “One doctor told me to stop coming to the hospital or he’d section me.

“He said I didn’t need treatment—that it was a ‘want’.

“It was humiliating and dismissive.”

Positive - Erin wants to raise awareness about endometriosis and 'give a voice to those who feel like they aren't being heard' (Image: Erin Hicks / SWNS) Despite the pain and challenges, Erin remains optimistic.

On her good days, she seizes every opportunity to live fully, though bad days still outnumber the good.

“I know there’s a long road ahead, but I want to make a difference for others,” she said.

“The waiting times to see specialists are shocking, people are waiting years just to get a consultation or surgery, and that needs to change.

“I want to give a voice to those who feel like they aren’t being heard.”

To read more about endometriosis, visit: Endometriosis - NHS

Charities raising awareness and offering support with endometriosis include Endometriosis UK and The Endometriosis Foundation.