A year ago, Co Down woman Samantha Campbell was recovering from the most major surgery any woman can go through, a hysterectomy after being left in excruciating pain for years due to endometriosis.
Fast forward 12 months and while still suffering with the effects of the condition and experiencing perimenopause, Samantha is now using her experience to help other women facing the same battle.
Endometriosis is a long-term condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, affecting one in 10 women worldwide.
Read more: NI woman on how endometriosis diagnosis led to six stone weight loss
The symptoms of endometriosis can vary. Some women are badly affected, while others might not have any noticeable symptoms.
The main symptoms are pelvic pain, period pain that stops you doing normal activities, pain during or after sex, feeling sick, constipation, diarrhoea, or blood in your pee during your period, and difficulty getting pregnant.
Despite the seriousness of the disease, it takes an average of eight years just to get a diagnosis.
Samantha, 32, from Kilkeel was diagnosed with the condition when she was only 24 after suffering in pain for a number of years. She had two surgeries to treat the condition before she underwent a hysterectomy in June 2021 at the age of 30 when she had stage 4 endometriosis.
Samantha was plagued with the physical symptoms of heavy periods, fainting and dizzy spells that also started to impact her mental health. After becoming desperate "for it all to stop", she chose to have the radical surgery.
Two years ago, she created an Instagram account to share her journey of living with endometriosis from diagnosis and treatment through to her surgery and her life afterwards. She is now campaigning to end the lack of understanding and stigma around the issue.
She told Belfast Live: "Every year more and more women are diagnosed with this condition after years of being ignored and waiting for surgery which is just not good enough.
"Endometriosis causes long lasting damage to the body, impacting on your social life, physical and mental wellbeing and a lot of the time it leaves you unable to work, which is not an option for most right now."
Samantha is speaking out to mark Endometriosis Awareness Month this March and to help get more women affected by this the help and support they need.
She is one of 12 brave women who recently penned their journeys with endometriosis in a newly published book, Hear us Roar, in a bid to help raise awareness and support other women.
"We're all involved in a Facebook support group and six months ago, one of the members came up with the idea of putting a book together - 12 different chapters explaining our individual experiences of this horrible disease," she explained.
"Everyone has a different story but we all suffer with the same condition and some have gone through a lot more than others. It's phenomenal the way it's all come together almost overnight and the response has been very positive so far.
"Other women have said that reading about our journeys has really educated them about endometriosis and they could relate to some of the struggles we went through."
She added: "I'm still fighting and advocating for others who are suffering in silence, unsure of what’s happening and looking for answers. I've started a new campaign called 'Women Have Power' to spread the important message that our health does matter.
"All this aims to get more mental and physical help to those who need it across the UK and Northern Ireland.
Samantha is also starting to do talks in local Women's Centres about endometriosis and menopause and planning a leaflet campaign in GP surgeries across Northern Ireland with information about the condition, something she says is currently lacking.
Her first talk will take place at the Atlas Centre, Lisburn on Wednesday, March 29 from 1-2pm with more dates to follow.
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