A woman experiencing gynecological health problems was repeatedly turned away by doctors and told to “just take paracetamol” during her 13-year battle to receive a correct medical diagnosis.
Gabriella Pearson, 32, from Surrey, began having “disabling and painful” periods at the age of ten and is now unable to work or conceive naturally due to her conditions.
Doctors “consistently dismissed” her pleas for help, labeled her “emotional” and put her on the birth control pill at age 12, telling her that her experience is “part of being a woman” and to “just move on.”
It comes as a damning report from the Women and Equalities Committee found women are enduring painful gynecological conditions due to “medical misogyny” in the NHS.
After a 13-year wait, Gabriella received a diagnosis of endometriosis at age 23 after her mother noticed a small article about the condition in a newspaper and convinced doctors to schedule her for a scan.
Endometriosis occurs when cells from the lining of the uterus are found in other parts of the body. According to the charity Endometriosis UK, it takes an average of seven and a half years to get a diagnosis in the UK.
Since then, Gabriella has received two more diagnoses of adenomyosis, where the lining of the uterus begins to grow into the muscle of the uterine wall, and fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain throughout the body.
Her battle for recognition in the healthcare system has inspired her to co-create Menstrual health Project promote positive changes and spread awareness about endometriosis and other menstrual conditions in schools, the workplace and society at large.
Gabriella Pearson (pictured), 32, from Surrey, spoke to Femail about her battle with endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibromyalgia.
In December, a report by MPs on the Commons Women and Equalities Committee revealed its findings on how doctors often have poor knowledge of women’s health, meaning they fail to recognize symptoms and are dismissive of pain. the patients.
The neglect is fueled by a “pervasive stigma” around reproductive health issues and a lack of education about common conditions such as endometriosis, heavy periods and adenomyosis.
As a result, victims suffer agonizing discomfort that “interferes with all aspects of their daily lives”, including their education, careers, relationships and fertility, MPs on the committee said.
Gabriella’s life changed at age ten when she started her period. She said: “It was very heavy and very painful to the point that I was left curled up in a ball, absolutely paralyzed by the pain.”
The constant and painful bleeding meant that he could not have a typical school experience and could not participate in physical education or other sports activities.
“At 12, my mother had had enough, she took me to the doctor and they put me on the birth control pill right away,” Gabriella said. “I had no investigation, no questions asked.”
He continued: “I think it was also very difficult for my mother because I think there was a little bit of a culture, and I think it’s a culture that we’re breaking down now, like, ‘Oh, cool, that’s what the doctor said.’ That It must be the right thing to do and we’re leaving.”
‘So, I spent 12 to 17 years constantly taking different birth control pills, and when I started high school, I remember I completely washed my school skirt and went to the school nurse, and she just gave me a towel wet paper.

The 32-year-old, who started getting her period at age 10, said that in 2024, “medical misogyny” feels “worse than ever.”

Pictured: Gabriella Pearson, right, and Anna Cooper, left, the founders of the Menstrual Health Project.

In addition to dealing with serious gynecological problems, Gabriella suffered intense intestinal pain.

She has co-founded Menstrual Health Charity, which provides educational tools to raise awareness about menstrual health conditions.
“There were no vintage products, there were no spare clothes to wear and I felt that school was not a place where I had support either.”
Gabriella continued to struggle with gynecological symptoms and intestinal problems throughout her teenage years, causing her to miss a lot of school, which in turn affected her mental health.
“I developed very bad anxiety because I was constantly worried about going to school and all the other symptoms I was struggling with.”
When Gabriella entered Year 11, she battled depression and left midway through the school year, completing her GCSEs at home.
“I barely managed,” Gabriella said, adding, “I did terrible and then from 17 to 23 I was constantly going back and forth to the doctor with different symptoms.”
“I was still bleeding a lot and it was painful, (there was) pain during and after sex, severe swelling, severe lower back pain, erratic bowel movements… I think I probably had all the symptoms of endometriosis.”
Gabriella said that although she suffered from many of the symptoms of endometriosis, she was “constantly dismissed” or misdiagnosed.
‘They told me I had IBS, that I had a gluten intolerance, that it was just stress or that it was normal for my age, (although) I was coming out of my teens when I went to the doctor.’
After fighting her case with doctors, she had a transvaginal ultrasound at age 22, an appointment so difficult to get that she compared it to “getting blood out of a stone.”

Gabriella struggled with depression and anxiety throughout school and did her GCSEs from home.

The 32-year-old woman is unable to work due to her high levels of pain and is unable to conceive naturally.
The invasive procedure was “traumatic” for Gabriella, and she “cried the whole time.”
“I went back to the doctors to get the results and she just said they were inconclusive and I had to get another one.”
Unable to go through the process again, Gabriella refused. However, the doctor’s “cold” attitude to the results and the suggestion to have a second ultrasound made her question her health.
She said: ‘It completely baffled me… (and made me wonder) Am I imagining all this?’
Gabriella explained: “Then over the next six months things really got better and I was in and out of work and couldn’t keep it; I had just been laid off from the temp job I had also been working at.


Gabriella has had five surgeries in total, but she worries that the time between each one is getting shorter.
“I spent about six months going back and forth to the ER and I would see the same nurse at triage and she would just completely ignore me (and tell me) there’s nothing wrong with you and to take paracetamol.”
However, a GP later referred to Gabriella’s original ultrasound results, which were previously considered inconclusive, and found evidence of endometriosis.
From there, she was referred to a gynecologist and an endometriosis specialist before undergoing eye surgery to determine how widespread the endometriosis was.
“I had endometriosis on my left ovary and in my intestine, which made a lot of sense… I felt very relieved and thought, I’m actually not crazy, I hadn’t imagined all these symptoms, there is a real reason why I have been feeling like this.’
Since then, Gabriella has had five more surgeries to remove endometriosis and received secondary diagnoses.
“Unfortunately, my endometriosis has continued to grow on my left ovary and bowel, but it has also spread to my bladder and uterus.”

While “medical misogyny” is “horrible,” according to Gabriella, she recognized the many great medical professionals who are striving for change.
He added: “It’s been really difficult because with my last two surgeries, the time between them is getting shorter.”
While Gabriella’s health battle continues, she has found some solace in creating the Menstrual Health Project to raise awareness about the condition and help address “medical misogyny.”
He noted that while there are “so many medical professionals trying,” “medical misogyny is just horrible, and in 2024 it feels worse than ever.”
“I’ve been told to suck it up, shut up and move on, and that’s part of being a woman, and I think there’s a massive culture of that.
“There are medical professionals who ignore, dismiss, misdiagnose and do not treat patients the way they should be heard.”
To bring about positive change, Gabriella’s charity strives to educate people, particularly in schools and the workplace, about menstrual conditions to prevent others from going through a similar experience to her.
To access Menstrual Health Project resources, click here