Carla Cressy was devastated when she started menopause in her 20s, but now 33, she says “patience is everything” when it comes to coping with the condition.

Carla experienced endometriosis symptoms from aged 14, but was repeatedly misdiagnosed with conditions such as dysmenorrhea (period pain) and irritable bowel syndrome.

Delays in receiving a diagnosis is a reality many of the 1.5 million women living with endometriosis in the UK – where it takes on average eight years to diagnose – can relate to.