A charity campaign has helped put a little-known health condition in the spotlight.
Endometriosis Awareness North has played a key role in boosting awareness of endometriosis, a condition that affects one in 10 women.
The charity has helped raise awareness, and now books, pop records, and an award-winning film have been made about the condition.
Endometriosis is where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body and can cause severe pain and heavy periods, according to the NHS website.
Dr Anita Sharma, from Chadderton and founder of the charity, said: "So much progress has been made since local young woman Courtney Ormrod arrived at my surgery desperate for help half a decade ago.
"Her teaching career had been ruined, she’d had black-outs and needed a wheelchair on occasions, and worst of all, nobody believed a word she said.
"With the supreme support of volunteers from my Patient Participation Group we decided enough was enough – and began a campaign that owes so much to them and the people of Oldham who have since helped."
Dr Sharma, a former GP, founded Endometriosis Awareness North in 2021 after seeing how little was known about the condition, even among healthcare professionals.
Since then, the charity has empowered a network of “endo warriors,” giving a voice to those affected.
Their work has contributed to a wider cultural shift, inspiring the BAFTA-winning short film This is Endometriosis, the first time the condition has featured as the subject of an award-winning film.
Dr Sharma has plans for further awareness-raising, including public events and a walk during Endometriosis Awareness Month in March.
She will also announce details of the UK’s first-ever research project on endometriosis and self-harm, led by the University of Manchester and funded through the charity.
Despite progress, Dr Sharma warned that diagnosis times remain a serious issue.
She said: "While more people know about endo, the time taken to successfully diagnose endometriosis has actually GONE UP and sufferers have to wait in pain for nearly a decade to find out if they have the condition.
"Where is the specialist help to treat endo?
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"Where is the research to find relief or even a cure?
"And where are the politicians who will make learning about Endo a part of our children’s education, or even grant special leave of absence for workers crippled by endometriosis?"
For more information, visit: https://endometriosisawarenessnorth.com/
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