Clara’s Story | One word. Seven years.
Clara was just a 14 year old girl living in Perth with her mum when she first felt the effects of what would become a
lifelong condition
Her routine was filled with school, friends, and weekly netball practice. At this age, everything in her life was pretty regular, including her period. Then, one month, she experienced some intense cramping, painful enough that she had to skip two days of school. She texted her friends that she was alright, and if they could send her any notes or homework so she could catch up.
The next month, her period was manageable, if only slightly more uncomfortable than it usually was. But last month’s pain was just an anomaly, right?
That was only the beginning of a long and difficult battle with her body. Each month became progressively more nauseating and draining for Clara. The pain would bubble up until it encompassed her whole body.
Slowly, her routine fell apart.
She needed to take a week off school,
lost the energy to text any friends,
and dropped out of extracurriculars.
“If I had any energy left to spare, I probably would have been more scared at what was happening to me.”
When Clara was 15, her mum took her to a doctor for help. By this point, her period usually brought forth dizziness, acute cramping, fatigue, and whole body aches. While her symptoms sound severe, the doctor assured Clara and her mum that these sort of hormone fluctuations were completely normal and to be expected in girls her age.
“The doc basically said Clara could go on birth control to manage her period…we said no”
It will take approximately 7 years before anyone says the word ‘endometriosis ’ to her.
Endometriosis is a chronic and incurable condition where uterine-like tissue grows outside of the uterus, causing intense bodily pain and hormonal imbalance. Currently, the standard method of diagnosis is an explorative surgery known as a laparoscopy.
Clara underwent a laparoscopy and was diagnosed just last year, but that doesn’t erase the years before where she remained lost, confused, and actively in pain. This diagnostic delay in women’s healthcare meant months of missed school, a limited social life, and goals unpursued because Clara couldn’t trust her own body to support her.
“The diagnosis came as such a relief for me...I think I cried from the sheer exhaustion of finding out what was always different in my body. And now there are lots of new developments…treatment options for endometriosis.”
What Clara Wasn’t Told
These are the medical texts that influenced this narrative if you would like to take a closer look at the complexities of female healthcare
An article that summarises the McKinsey Health Institute report, including that research funding for male erectile dysfunction has been significantly greater than funding for endometriosis, despite roughly 190 million women being affected. It furthers the argument that diagnostic delays reflect a deeper neglect and de-prioritisation of women’s healthcare.
A French study with approximately 6,950 participants found an average diagnostic delay of 10 years for endometriosis and 11 years for adenomyosis. Clara’s 7 year wait for a diagnosis is shorter than this average yet still significantly disrupted her life and routine.
An Australian study discovered that at least one symptom was documented for 66% of women before diagnosis, with pelvic pain being the most common result at 40%. This study bases Clara’s symptoms and doctor visits in real primary Australian healthcare data.
In this medical preprint, a review of 22 studies from around the world found an average endometriosis diagnostic delay of 6.6 years, with symptoms beginning at around 14 years old in girls. This informed Clara’s age and her delayed healthcare pathway.
A review of a memoir on living with endometriosis and facing dismissal after dismissal provides a realistic context for the narrative’s lived experiences of dismissal and living with endometriosis.
This research article argues that endometriosis has largely been ignored in research funding due to structural, cultural, and social factors. It highlights the theme that diagnostic delays for endometriosis come from systemic bias and not any one clinician.
This paper examines the intersectionality of medical misogyny and identity, and how medical dismissals and diagnostic delays can intensify patient stress. It informs the portrayal of Clara’s battle with a pattern of systemic bias and the emotional toll it created.