The catalyst that really set the wheels in motion for me was starting my period at 10, which was incredibly crippling, causing me heavy bleeding and debilitating pain that had such a detrimental impact on my life as a young person.
At the age of 12, I was put on the contraceptive pill with no questions asked about why I was experiencing so much pain. Throughout my teen years, I suffered severely, resulting in missing a lot of school due to my periods, which in turn led to ongoing issues with my bowel, stomach and mental health. By my final year of high school, I became depressed and ended up having to leave halfway through the year. I took my exams from home and did not manage to achieve very good grades.
From the age of 17, I spent the next six years fighting to figure out what was going on with my body and my health. My symptoms had increased dramatically, and I was experiencing a lot of pain and suffering from fatigue, nausea, bloating, lower back pain, pain during and after sex, constant bleeding for weeks at a time and high levels of anxiety. I was repeatedly told I had IBS and gluten intolerance (without any referrals or testing), that painful and heavy periods were normal, and that my symptoms were just down to ‘being a woman’.
For a long time after being diagnosed with endometriosis, I felt incredibly lonely. I didn’t speak to anyone about what I was going through and felt I was unworthy of support.
After countless trips back and forth to the doctors and A&E, I finally received a diagnosis at 23 after my first surgery for severe endometriosis, which was discovered on my bowel and left ovary. Since then, I have unfortunately had to have four further surgeries where endometriosis has grown back repeatedly on my bowel and left ovary and has also been found on my bladder and womb. Each period between surgeries has become shorter and with less relief. Due to this horrendous condition, I have almost lost my left ovary and fallopian tubes, but luckily, so far, I have managed to avoid a bowel resection or stoma bag.
Along with having my body put into chemical menopause three times and enduring multiple investigations and procedures to relieve the permanent damage to my body, which has left me with mobility issues, I was also diagnosed with adenomyosis at 24 and fibromyalgia at 30.
Now, at 32, I am facing the likelihood of needing the implantation of a sacral nerve stimulator due to reduced bowel and bladder function, as well as a full hysterectomy, thus depriving me of any chance of starting a much-wanted family. Years of challenging experiences where I had to struggle and persevere with my health just to be heard and validated led me to realise that this was not okay and should never be anyone’s reality.
The gaslighting, dismissal and misdiagnosing I received have left me with so much trauma and emotional turmoil. Sadly, my own health journey is still ongoing, but after everything I had been through, I decided enough was enough and wanted to do more for myself and others.
For several different reasons, we all need to be informed of how our body works so that we can spot red flags and abnormalities and correctly advocate for ourselves and others if we feel something is not right.
For a long time after being diagnosed with endometriosis, I felt incredibly lonely. I didn’t speak to anyone about what I was going through and felt I was unworthy of support. Four years ago, I decided to start sharing my journey about what I had gone through and what I was currently dealing with on social media. I did it to feel empowered as a person living with multiple chronic illnesses, but also for others to relate and resonate.
Whilst being able to share advice, support and information to help others at different stages of their journeys with how to navigate through an incredibly difficult and complex health system — with extremely long waiting times, frequent dismissals, and not always being heard and understood — I found that talking about taboo subjects such as menstrual health, bowel movements and disability helped me gain a huge sense of confidence and acceptance of who I am. It made me realise that although I am chronically ill, it is just a part of me, not all of me.
Despite the enormous negative impact chronic illness keeps having on my life, it has, however, opened up incredible opportunities for me to speak on podcasts, interviews and events about my lived experience and how I have turned my pain into power.
Shortly after starting to share my journey, I met Anna, who also suffers from endometriosis. We quickly became best friends as we bonded over our shared trauma of endometriosis. In 2022, we both felt frustrated and limited by how many people we could help and the impact we could make. We decided to create the Menstrual Health Project, initially as a community group, to see what change we could achieve as an organisation to help ourselves and anyone else suffering.
We created our first free resource, our endometriosis diagnostic toolkit, which provides information on symptoms, speaking to your doctor, tracking your symptoms, preparing for an appointment and more - basically, everything we wish we had when we were going through the rigmarole of trying to get diagnosed.
In February 2023, we became a UK-registered charity. Menstrual Health Project is a charity that provides free educational resources and delivers workshops and sessions throughout educational, workplace and healthcare settings across the UK. We aim to give practical support to those suffering from menstrual health issues and related conditions, from periods through to menopause, helping them navigate each stage of life more comfortably and confidently.
We then created our second resource, our menstrual health toolkit for under 18s, which provides comprehensive information on what a menstrual cycle is, knowing a normal/abnormal period, period products, menstrual and mental wellbeing, discussing any concerns with a doctor, tracking your cycles, and more.
As an organisation, we want to ensure everyone has access to accurate and comprehensive information, along with better support, both in educational settings and workplaces. Menstrual Health Project was created after years of feeling completely lost, overwhelmed and uneducated about our health. We knew that if we had had the right tools from the beginning, our journeys would have looked very different.
The journey of going against the grain and challenging the norm has been a real eye-opener and a big learning curve for sure! Despite my health continuing to decline through the years and now being in a position where I have had to stop working, I have gained so much resilience and courage from everything I have gone through.
Deciding to challenge the norm, speak up and say, “Enough is enough, it’s time to stand up and take action!” has been completely liberating. I never used to have any confidence or self-belief that I could be part of the impact and growth when it comes to campaigning and fighting for change within women’s health and the healthcare system, but I am doing it!
I never knew what I would achieve when I left school, and through years of being unable to progress with a career, I was fearful of where that would leave me, both personally and professionally. I have now become someone who is not afraid to challenge, not afraid to ask, not afraid of a NO, not afraid to take risks. Whereas I was always someone very cautious, scared and reserved, my health has changed all of that.
My health has deteriorated and weakened me, but the fire and drive inside me have grown better and stronger! In my opinion, improvements need to start in school and educational settings, where young people can receive informative, correct and positive education on menstrual health, reproductive, and gynaecological health, as well as a better understanding of the many conditions and disabilities.
I am proud of myself because despite my health repeatedly trying to slow me down and prevent me from fulfilling my role due to surgeries, procedures, flares, bad mental health days and more, I have achieved so much.
For several different reasons, we all need to be informed of how our body works so that we can spot red flags and abnormalities and correctly advocate for ourselves and others if we feel something is not right. The delay or complete lack of education on these topics is creating and perpetuating dangerous narratives and stigmas around menstrual health, particularly the idea that it is normal or should be ignored or that we should feel ashamed or embarrassed. This is incredibly damaging for a lot of people later on in life, as well as having a huge detrimental impact on core milestones, such as education, work and family life.
Another important improvement would be to ensure that all workplaces have training and policies in place to support their employees comprehensively, so they feel they can progress and excel in their careers despite any health challenges, especially relating to menstrual health.
I am incredibly proud of creating Menstrual Health Project with Anna. I had no experience in this role or in setting up and running a charity. Everything we have achieved so far has been incredible, but it has not been without a lot of tears, hard work, late nights and perseverance.
I am proud of myself because despite my health repeatedly trying to slow me down and prevent me from fulfilling my role due to surgeries, procedures, flares, bad mental health days and more, I have achieved so much with our charity. I am proud of being able to support and help so many people who have found support and comfort in our organisation through our resources and workshops.
No matter how much we evolve as a charity, the proudest moments will always be when our resources have helped someone get an appointment, a diagnosis or find the confidence to advocate for themselves. I am incredibly proud that we started with just the two of us and have grown to a team of over 25. When they say it takes a village, it really does. I am so grateful to Anna and our team for everything they do.
Gabz Pearson is a 32-year-old chronic illness and women’s health campaigner, advocate, speaker and charity co-founder. She shares her long-lived experience of severe suffering from multiple chronic illnesses to raise awareness and create positive change within the community, both personally and professionally. She lives with her husband and two dogs, who have been a lifeline and solace for her in the most difficult times.
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