An Edinburgh woman has spoken out after she was bed-bound with endometriosis.
Suzanna appeared on Channel 4's Davina McCall's Pill Revolution which aired on Thursday evening, June 8. She, along with other young women, spoke about their experience with taking hormonal contraception as Davina explored the challenges women are facing.
The TV presenter met with Edinburgh-based campaign group, Contraception Education Reform Team (CERT) in the Leith Theatre.
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In the programme, Davina explained that Suzanna was given hormonal contraception as a teenager to manage heavy periods and severe period pain.
After years of trying different methods, she discovered her symptoms were actually caused by endometriosis. Suzanna, 23, says she thinks hormonal contraception was 'masking' some of her symptoms.
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
Speaking to Davina McCall, she said: "I was really pushing, I knew something was wrong for years and years. They kept telling me I was too young to have this but I knew something was wrong.
"Basically, I was bedridden for two years whilst I was waiting to have my operation and they took away some of the endometriosis but now it's quite likely I'm infertile."
At just 23, the young woman admitted it was tough to get that news. Suzanna is now urging other women to get a second opinion if they feel like something is not right.
She said: 'I think ultimately, you know your body better than anyone. It's okay to be pushy, it's okay to see a second opinion, it's okay to take up the doctor's time.
Davina replied: "These are all things we hate doing because we've been trained to hate doing them. This is the stereotype - be quiet, don't be loud, don't be awkward."
Another member of the group interjected: "And that's why we're so dismissive because they're like, oh they're complaining again - and yeah we are because it's still a problem."
Speaking to Davina, one woman from CERT who took hormonal contraception shared that she was having side effects for a year after and another said she was told by her GP 'to wait it out' after complaining of side effects.
The documentary sees Davina investigate the options offered to women and asks 'are we giving women the care they need?'. The former Big Brother host has been calling for change for support and education for women's health after opening up about her experience with menopause.
Davina goes to great lengths to investigate how women across the UK are feeling about the education and choices around hormonal contraception as well as busting myths.
Davina McCall's Pill Revolution is available to stream on Channel 4.
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