Wrexham: 31-year-old mother shares endometriosis journey

Last year, Anna Cooper launched the charity Menstrual Health Project (MHP) with friend Gabriella Pearson after suffering with severe endometriosis since her teenage years.

At just 13-years-old, she began experiencing excruciating pain which lasted weeks at a time, and not just during her menstrual cycle. She describes experiencing UTI symptoms with no UTI including rectal bleeding and chronic lower back pain. Despite this, she was continuously told that it was normal.

Anna Cooper and Gabriella Pearson (Image: Alex Thurston Photography)

Anna visited her GP, but was sadly dismissed and told to embrace a 'more positive' attitude to her body changes. 

"It's horrible feeling agonising pain but having no on believe you", she said. "You even begin to question yourself."

After a gynaecologist wrote to Anna's GP advising clinical psychological support, she was rushed into hospital with a suspected acute appendicitis. Following a surgery, a doctor confirmed her appendix was removed due to endometriosis completely surrounding the organ.

Gabz and Anna (Image: Anna Cooper) "I thank god for him every single day because if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have had the word endometriosis", Anna continues.

"After that they referred me back to the original gynaecologist who wouldn’t see me as she disagreed with his findings, so my Dad took me privately to a endometriosis specialist who told me the only way to definitively diagnose was through surgery."

Anna was officially diagnosed with widespread endometriosis, which occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, shortly before her 18th birthday, admitting it impacts her life drastically on a daily basis.

Anna post-surgery with her daughter (Image: Anna Cooper) "It's like someone has a chain wrapped around my abdomen and it's getting tighter and tighter. The pain radiates down my thighs as if they are burning, and I deal with sickness as a result."

Throughout the years, Anna has endured 17 surgeries, including having her bowel removed and losing the majority of her bladder. She now lives with two stomas; a permanent ileostomy and permanent urostomy.

"Adjusting to living with two stomas was incredibly hard, especially being so young as I couldn’t find anyone my age who was living with two stomas. I have also had a full hysterectomy where they removed my womb, cervix, both fallopian tubes and both ovaries when I was 28 so I was thrust into early menopause which has been incredibly difficult to navigate as I am now suffering with low bone density in my hips.

Scott and Anna Cooper with daughter, Grace (Image: Anna Cooper)

"That’s the side people don’t see of endometriosis that it has such a knock on effect on the rest of your body. Its not just a condition that gives you bad periods, I don’t have periods anymore and its still reeking havoc in my body."

At 22-years-old, Anna gave birth to her daughter with the wonderful support from her husband, family and friends.

Now 31, she says: "I do not want my daughter to grow up in a world where we do no prioritise women's healthcare and where we still feel ashamed when it comes to talking about our menstrual health.

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"This was my driving force to cofound our charity Menstrual Health Project as we wanted to support people with these concerns and conditions. Both myself and Gabriella always say we turn our pain into power. Something positive had to come out of a huge negative."

Together, they deliver talks and free educational resources to schools, colleges, universities and workplaces.

"We wanted to set up our charity in order to educate and empower the next generation about all things menstrual health so if they may experience symptoms like we did that they know how to advocate for the right healthcare", Anna said.

All of the charity's educational resources are created alongside the medical advisory board that is made up of specialist gynaecologists, women's health GP’s from Wales & England, clinical psychologist, women's health specialist nurse and women's health dietician to ensure all the information is to the NHS and NICE guidance.

Visit menstrualhealthproject.org.uk for further details.