Carla Cressy began modelling at five but was forced to stop at 17 after repeatedly collapsing on shoots. She endured crippling pelvic pain from her first periods at 13 and was only diagnosed with endometriosis at 25, after misdiagnoses that included an unnecessary appendectomy and repeated hospitalisations for chronic constipation.
By the time she received specialist care, Carla’s disease had advanced to a “frozen pelvis,” requiring bladder reconstruction and a total hysterectomy. She froze her eggs but cannot carry a child and retrained as a beauty therapist after feeling “unemployable and unreliable” because of her symptoms. Carla later founded The Endometriosis Foundation and has given evidence to an inquiry into how menstrual health conditions affect employment.
Hidden toll on work and lives
Endometriosis tissue similar to the womb lining growing outside it affects millions and often goes undiagnosed for years. Experts estimate one in six women with endometriosis leave the workplace because of symptoms such as severe pain, nausea, fainting and fatigue. Long diagnostic delays and disbelief from clinicians can deepen physical and financial harms.
- Workplace impact: collapsing at work, frequent absences, reduced hours or job loss.
- Medical consequences: chronic pain, infertility, organ damage in severe cases, complex surgeries.
Personal stories: Abi Smith and everyday struggles
Abi Smith, 27, experienced disabling pain from adolescence and was prescribed digestive remedies before receiving an endometriosis diagnosis. While working at a post office she recalls vomiting into a bin, constantly dashing to the toilet, and trying to serve customers in agony experiences echoed by many who face dismissive clinical responses and prolonged waiting times for specialist care.
- Common pattern: early symptoms dismissed as “normal” periods, long delays to specialist referral.
- Emotional cost: shame, isolation, career disruption and the need to adapt employment or retrain.
