Amber Williams, a 35-year-old woman from London, alleges that her debilitating pain was ignored by medical professionals for 15 years, resulting in the unnecessary removal of two organs before her conditions were finally identified.

Williams first experienced severe pain during menstruation at age 11. By 14, the symptoms were so intense that she frequently missed school. She reported being told that painful periods were normal and was prescribed the contraceptive pill. After discontinuing the pill in 2010, her pain intensified. In 2012, at age 21, she sought emergency care for severe abdominal pain, which led to the removal of her appendix. Surgeons later informed her that there was nothing wrong with the organ.

Later that year, she was diagnosed with PCOS, now known as PMOS. While advised on fertility and weight loss, her persistent pain remained untreated. Over the subsequent years, Williams made repeated visits to doctors, undergoing numerous tests but consistently being advised to take painkillers and sent home. She recounted an instance where a medical professional allegedly told her, "If you were really in that much pain, you wouldn’t have that much make-up on."

In 2016, her health significantly declined, leading to approximately 12 emergency room visits for agonizing abdominal pain. Doctors diagnosed gallstones and pancreatitis, resulting in surgery to remove her gallbladder. However, she was later told that the organ showed no significant issues. During a hospital admission in August of that year, Williams suffered a miscarriage.

Around 2017, through self-research and online support groups, she encountered information about endometriosis. After using symptom checkers and presenting the information to her doctor, she was referred onward, but allegedly, the possibility of endometriosis was dismissed. As years passed, her pain extended beyond her menstrual cycle, and some clinicians suggested her symptoms might be linked to mental health, leading to prescriptions for antidepressants.

In 2025, after four years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive with her husband, she sought help through fertility services. A fertility specialist, listening to her concerns about endometriosis, referred her for further investigation. In July of this year, surgeons finally discovered extensive endometriosis and adenomyosis, noting that her ovaries were fused to her pelvic wall.

Williams stated that the diagnosis provided her with the validation she had long sought. "When I woke up from surgery, the surgeon looked at me and said, 'You're not crazy.' I just burst into tears," she said. She now experiences pain described as "10 out of 10" for the first three days of every period and relies heavily on pain relief. Despite the diagnosis, Williams expressed concern that the years of delayed treatment may have impacted her fertility.

Unable to work due to the pain, Williams believes that being dismissed for so many years allowed the disease to progress unchecked. "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," she stated. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to have children now because of the damage that has been done."

Williams urged other women experiencing unexplained pain to persist in seeking answers. "Don't let them gaslight you. If you know your own body, you know when something's wrong with you," she advised. "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."