Doctors said I was too young to have endometriosis at 13 – I had to take morphine to cope

• Endometriosis can present in adolescents: Clinicians should not dismiss severe pelvic pain in teenagers based on age alone, as endometriosis occurs in younger patients and early diagnosis improves outcomes.
• Diagnostic delays lead to unnecessary suffering: Dismissive attitudes towards young patients' pain reports can result in prolonged symptomatic periods requiring opioid analgesia, highlighting the need for timely investigation and management.
• Patient education matters: Raising awareness of endometriosis symptoms in adolescents (severe dysmenorrhoea, chronic pelvic pain) may help patients advocate for appropriate assessment and reduce healthcare inequities in diagnosis.

Grace, 14, feels doctors were dismissive of her pain. She wants others to know the symptoms.

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