Often misdiagnosed, or not diagnosed at all, endometriosis is difficult to treat but it needn’t mean an end to your running

Words: Laura Briggs

Philadelphia Holmes has raced in ultramarathons across the world, but the pain of endurance running pales into insignificance compared to the pain she has suffered with endometriosis.

Undergoing a laparoscopy at the age of 36 in order to manage her endometriosis was the right decision for Philadelphia. When she woke up after the surgery, which removed lesions and scarring caused by the debilitating condition, she was in less pain than she’d been in for the previous 22 years of her life. But the fact that she got to that age before she was treated shows how little is known about the condition.

Philadelphia says: “After the op, my insides were raw from having extra tissue and adhesions removed –my organs and ligaments had been released from a lifetime of being glued to each other and moved to where they should have been. In short, the least amount of pain I’ve been in during my adult life was when my insides were raw, when I was fresh from surgery and when the drugs had stopped working. Is that not messed up?”

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition that can affect anyone from the start of menstruation through to menopause. Triggered by the hormone oestrogen, it’s where tissue similar to that of the uterus lining grows in places like the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and much deeper into the pelvic cavity, in some cases spreading into the bowel and bladder. It can inflame the lining of the womb, and cause adhesions that trigger extreme pain and leave scar tissue.

Endometriosis is so extreme it can make people pass out with the pain

During a woman’s period, the symptoms worsen, and can cause chronic fatigue, nausea, sickness, diarrhoea and debilitating pain.

Just living day-to-day life with the condition is challenging enough, but to continue running while suffering from it involves careful planning and pain management.