A Scottish mum who suffered from crippling endometriosis pain for 16 years told her husband to leave her after he diagnosis, saying it's not 'what he signed up for'.
Claire Watson, 41, has suffered both mental and physical anguish due to the condition since she was a teenager, only to be told by doctors that her periods were 'normal'.
The mum of two at the time, from Methil, Fife, spent her youth and early 20s going back and forth to doctors looking for answers about her chronic symptoms and finally, in 2011, she was diagnosed with endometriosis - a condition where cells similar to ones found in the lining of the womb are found elsewhere in the body.
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It can often cause severe pain which can result in tissue being surgically removed and infertility.
Claire has recently met her husband Scott when she was diagnosed with the incurable condition, but her relief of finally getting a diagnosis was replaced with the guilty feeling that she was robbing Scott of a proper relationship and consequently told him to leave her.
Claire told the Daily Record: "When I was a teenager I was scared of my period because of the pain, but I was told it was just normal.
"When I was older and became sexually active, I was told painful intercourse was normal.
"Eventually I was diagnosed in 2011, and I had only been with my husband for a short time.
"I had always suffered from pain but this was the first time I realised it would never go away.
"I pushed Scott away, I just felt that I wasn't what he signed up for.
"I was very quiet and withdrawn.
"Intimacy is a big part of a romantic relationship. He didn't deserve to go through my problems, so I told him to leave me and find a woman who doesn't suffer from endometriosis."
After her diagnosis, Claire was immediately put through medical menopause.
Two years later she had a radical hysterectomy where surgeons ended up removing her ovaries, womb and cervix as the endometriosis had grown.
Husband Scott, 47, said that he struggles to see his wife in so much pain and sought out partners of people suffering with the condition in a bid to create a support group. Since then, the couple have been actively involved in awareness campaigns and have shot photos of the reality the incurable condition can have on a relationship, as well as someone's body.
He said: "When Claire was diagnosed she tried to push me away, saying ' you don't need to be with a person that has this illness'.
"I told her, I've got your back and we'll work this out together.
"It's very difficult as a man. Sex causes her pain, and it becomes an issue.
"I don't want to hurt her. I've felt at times I want to say no because I'm worried about her heath.
"It can lead her to feel shunned, and it becomes a vicious cycle in our marriage.
"Endometriosis is a very difficult and taboo subject to talk about but I have been relieved to find other partners I could talk to that have the same experiences."
Claire, who now shares five children with Scott from their previous relationships, said she is very lucky to have been able to become a mother before her surgery.
Mum Claire said: "I'm fortunate enough that had my two sons young and Scott already had kids too. If I had kids when I was older though that would have not been a possibility. That is the reality some couples face.
"It took me a long time to accept that he wasn't going to run away.
"I'm really lucky that he is so supportive."
Since 2011 Claire has gone through five operations as endometriosis spread to her bladder, bowels, and kidney, causing it to stop functioning properly.
The couple now run a successful Fife support group for endometriosis sufferers and their partners to provide a level of support beyond physical pain.
Claire added: "The growths have been found on every single part of the body now.
"When I had my hysterectomy I thought it would have stopped the pain but I'm going to be in pain for the rest of my life.
"At first in this journey, I felt very alone and that's why I started a support group in Fife.
"Endometriosis affects everybody in my family, not just me, as my loved ones watch me deal with a chronic illness.
"Women are conditioned to put up with period pain. It's uncomfortable but if it is so painful that it stops you from going to school or work then that's not normal."
