‘When I was 14 I thought I was dying’

• Endometriosis diagnosis is frequently delayed into early adulthood despite symptom onset in adolescence, highlighting a significant diagnostic gap in young patients presenting with menstrual pain
• Healthcare professionals should maintain high clinical suspicion for endometriosis in teenage girls reporting severe dysmenorrhoea, as normalising period pain contributes to delayed diagnosis and prolonged patient suffering
• Early recognition and diagnosis of endometriosis in adolescents is essential to prevent a decade-long diagnostic delay and enable timely intervention to manage symptoms and preserve fertility

BBC Radio Sheffield presenter Ellie Colton's symptoms of endometriosis started when she was a young teenager. But she wasn't diagnosed until she was 24.

ClinicaliQ summarises and contextualises external updates for clinical awareness, then links to the original publisher for the full article and most current context.