“20 years of pain”: Endometriosis diagnosis waits approach 10 years — even longer for queer people

Words by Lois Shearing
Design by Chyna Sudbury

CJ first went to the doctors about his painful periods when he was 10 years old. He had started his period when he was nine, and his mum, who had also struggled with gynaecological issues, was very proactive in taking him to get checked out. 

He was put on birth control throughout his teen years, which he says ‘tanked’ his mental health. He kept going back to the doctor. Still, he wasn’t diagnosed with anything. He became anaemic and at times, bedbound for days at a time from the pain of his periods.