Endometriosis is a common condition among women, however rarely gets discussed in main stream media.
Now the hit show Conversations With Friends is bringing issue to light as it shows what it's like to be a young woman with the chronic and painful condition.
The main character of the show, which is based on the Sally Rooney novel, endures the severe physical pain of endometriosis.
Read more: All the Sally Rooney books you need to read before watching Conversations with Friends
Frances’ symptoms are first shown from the first episode, when she wakes up in the middle of the night with nausea.
She ends up sleeping in the bathroom not because she is hungover, but because she doesn’t have the energy to run to and from the bathroom every time she needs to get sick.
The 12-episode series, on RTE, BBC and Hulu, shows Frances in pain on her bathroom floor, throwing up, bleeding excessively, fainting and even needing to go to A&E to deal with the unbearable torture of the condition.
Conversations with Friends does a great job at portraying how intense symptoms can be, and even captures the emotional pain that comes with it too.
After fainting, the first thing Frances says is: “I’m sorry” and she keeps apologising for something that she can't control.
As well as that, it made Frances panic about her ability having children, even though she’s only 21, a feeling many women will identify with.
The condition made her feel like she wasn’t good enough for Nick and she told him: “I was afraid my body wasn’t going to feel good to you anymore” and “I was worried you would treat me like a sick person.”
According to the HSE, the symptoms of endometriosis can vary.
The main symptoms of endometriosis are:
pain in your lower tummy or back – usually worse during your period
period pain that stops you doing normal activities
pain during or after sex
pain when peeing or pooping during your period
feeling sick, constipation, diarrhoea, or blood in your pee during your period
difficulty getting pregnant
heavy periods - you might use lots of pads or tampons, or you may bleed through your clothes
it could lead to feelings of depression
There's currently no cure for endometriosis. But there are treatments that can help ease the symptoms and reduce its development.
Treatments include:
painkillers – such as ibuprofen and paracetamol
hormone medicines and contraceptives – including the combined pill, the contraceptive patch, an intrauterine system (IUS), and medicines called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues
surgery to cut away patches of endometriosis tissue
an operation to remove part or all of the organs affected by endometriosis – such as surgery to remove the womb (hysterectomy)
Read more : Conversations with Friends cast and where you've seen them before
Read more: How to watch the Normal People series ahead of Conversations with Friends
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