'Doctors thought my endometriosis was IBS'

'Doctors thought my endometriosis was IBS'Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDanielle MalgwiSouth EastJade Boden-de MelJade Boden-de Mel has experienced chronic pain since she was 17 A woman says doctors mistook her endometriosis for irritable bowel syndrome, as new figures show diagnosis delays are getting longer.Jade Boden-de Mel first experienced "unbearable" pain at 17 but says medics could not identify the cause and prescribed the contraceptive pill to manage it.She was not diagnosed with endometriosis until four years later, after a friend suggested the condition while she was at university.A specialist carried out an ultrasound but "couldn't diagnose it from that," she said, "but she had enough evidence to suggest surgery the next day to one, diagnose and two, burn out the tissue".New figures from charity Endometriosis UK show the average time to receive a diagnosis is now nine years and four months, up from eight years in 2020.According to the NHS, endometriosis is a chronic condition in which cells similar to the womb lining grow elsewhere in the body and there is currently no cure.Boden-de Mel said she was placed on a two-year NHS waiting list but accessed a specialist earlier through private care while she was in full-time education.It took her a year to recover internally from surgery and she has since taken the pill for eight years to manage her symptoms."I've had a very supportive family and friends who've kind of taken it seriously, so other than the odd comment of 'I get painful periods too", everyone has been very understanding," she told BBC South East."But then it happens so often that it's almost like it's tiring. It's like, 'can't we be over this?'"Despite her condition, she said she remains hopeful of starting a family one day.Emily KnellEmily Knell would like endometriosis to be counted as a disability due to the state it...