'I wanted a girl, but when I had a son I was honestly relieved because at least he wouldn't have to go through this'
“We have been trying for six years to get pregnant. I’ve been pregnant each year – but I’ve had five miscarriages thanks to endometriosis.”
READ MORE: 'Doctors told me twice there was nothing they could do to save my life - I'm still here fighting' There is currently no known cure for endometriosis and treatment is usually aimed at controlling symptoms. Endometriosis can start at a person's first menstrual period and last until menopause.
Mirfat said: “I kept being told I had irritable bowel syndrome or that I’d got an infection, I was once told it was constipation even though I can tell the difference, I’d even been given antibiotics at one point. I was told that’s what had been causing my tummy ache and diarrhoea, but they are both symptoms of endometriosis – and no one was making the connection for a good 10 years.
“I was told by doctors that ‘you either want to focus on getting pregnant, or get your pain under control. Pick one.’ And I picked wanting a child,” Mirfat, now 37, explained. 'I was honestly relieved when I had a boy' Mirfat and her husband were overjoyed when one of their pregnancies ended in a healthy baby, a now-two-year-old son. Mirfat initially wanted a girl, she says, but when the baby turned out to be a boy – she had one profound feeling.
The lengthy wait for diagnosis means a delay in accessing treatment, during which the disease may progress, leading to worsening physical symptoms and a risk of permanent organ damage, says Endometriosis UK. 'This isn't normal' Mirfat says that more should be done to educate in schools and in public life about what endometriosis is and the impact it can have on day-to-day life.
“But there’s lots of other lifelong conditions that are never going to get full treatments and aren’t as spoken about, like dementia – and endometriosis.