Woman has two organs removed after years of agonising pain dismissed as 'just periods'
A woman who claims her crippling pain was ignored for 15 years and put down to being 'periods' was later discovered to have endometriosis.
Amber Williams had two of her organs removed before it was found that the condition had left her ovaries fused to her pelvic wall.
The 35-year-old, from London, said years of 'agonising' pain were thought to be periods, despite repeated trips to A&E and scans, as well as operations.
She later had her appendix and gallbladder removed, but it was only after she and her husband struggled to conceive that she was referred for further investigation, finally leading to a diagnosis of extensive endometriosis and adenomyosis in July this year.
Advert
Now unable to work because of the pain, Amber explained: "It's ruined my life. I've lost years.
"I don't have a career. I can't work because I'm in too much pain. I don't know what my life might have looked like if I'd been listened to earlier.
"I was forgotten about for years and left in pain. If I hadn't kept pushing, I don't think I would ever have been diagnosed."
Amber endured years of pain
Amber first began experiencing severe period pain after starting her periods aged 11. By 14, her symptoms were so severe she regularly missed school. She says she was told painful periods were 'normal' and she was prescribed the contraceptive pill.
Amber remained on the pill for around four years but says it did little to relieve her symptoms and caused unwanted side effects including weight gain and severe mood changes.
After stopping the pill in 2010, her pain continued to worsen. In 2012, aged 21, she went to A&E with severe abdominal pain and doctors suspected appendicitis.
Later that year she was diagnosed with PCOS. Amber says she was told it could affect fertility and was largely advised to lose weight, while her ongoing pain remained untreated.
Over the following years, she said her symptoms became increasingly debilitating and that she underwent numerous tests.
In 2016, Amber's health deteriorated significantly and she says she attended A&E around 12 times with agonising abdominal pain.
Doctors diagnosed gallstones and pancreatitis, leading to surgery to remove her gallbladder, but that she was then told there was nothing significantly wrong with the organ.
"I screamed from the rooftops"
That same year, she experienced extremely heavy bleeding, filling a sanitary pad every hour while vomiting and collapsing in pain.
During the hospital admission in August, Amber suffered a miscarriage, which she describes as deeply traumatic and became a turning point.
She said: "When I was having my miscarriage, that's when I realised even if you're screaming and writhing in pain no one listens. You have to scream from the rooftops."
Around 2017, while researching her symptoms and speaking to women in online support groups, Amber first came across endometriosis.
She completed symptom checkers from Endometriosis UK and took the information to her GP. However she says the constant pain and lack of answers had a devastating effect on her life.
In 2025, after she and her husband had spent four years trying unsuccessfully to conceive, Amber sought help through fertility services. A fertility specialist listened to her concerns about endometriosis and referred her for further investigation.
In July this year, surgeons finally discovered extensive endometriosis and adenomyosis, with Amber's ovaries fused to her pelvic wall. She says she was finally given the validation she had spent years seeking.
Amber said: "When I woke up from surgery, the surgeon looked at me and said, 'You're not crazy.' I just burst into tears."
She now spends the first three days of every period in what she describes as '10 out of 10 pain' and relies heavily on pain relief. Despite finally having a diagnosis, Amber fears the years without treatment may have affected her chances of having children.
Amber now wants other women experiencing unexplained pain to keep pushing for answers. She said: "If you know your own body, you know when something's wrong with you.
"Women's health is still understudied, under-researched and undervalued. People think endometriosis is just bad periods. It isn't. It affects every part of your life."
James Holt