Emma Williams-Tully, 39, with daughter Belle, 9, wants to raise awareness (Image: Emma Williams-Tully / SWNS)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeEmma Williams-Tully, a 39-year-old mum from Wrexham, is on a mission to ensure young girls get the medical attention they deserve for period problems. After suffering from excruciatingly painful and heavy periods since she was 10, Emma was repeatedly told by her GP that it was normal. It took years before she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the womb lining grows elsewhere, leading to multiple surgeries and even a hysterectomy. Shocking figures from the charity Wellbeing of Women reveal that 43% of girls aged 12 to 18 struggle to eat or sleep during their period, and 11% feel life isn’t worth living because of it. Yet, many still don’t get the support they need. That’s why Emma is advocating for young people to seek help, urging them to “go to the doctors about their periods” and teaching her nine-year-old daughter Belle to never fear seeking assistance.
Emma has been suffering with sever period problems since she was 10 years old
(Image: Emma Williams-Tully / SWNS)
Emma emphasised the importance of this support, saying: “It’s so important for them to go to the doctors about their periods. There is nothing more lonely than having nobody around you, it’s the most frightening thing,” reports the Mirror. “I never want my daughter to be scared, I never say mummy has problems because of her periods – I never want her to worry. She knows about my disabilities but I’m making her aware that if she has any problems with her period, I will make sure she will get the right care. “I will be determined that I will never let her go through what I’ve gone through. I am determined that this generation and the next generation will get the help that they deserve.” Emma opened up about her traumatic experiences as a teenager, grappling with severe period pain. She recalled having to use two night-time sanitary towels at once, only for them to soak through within an hour.
Her GP told Emma her painful periods were normal
(Image: Emma Williams-Tully / SWNS)
Despite such distress, she accepted it as normal after her GP dismissed the severity time and time again, convincing her that other girls must suffer the same. Emma remembered feeling terrified, sharing: “It was petrifying because, at the time, I didn’t really know what periods were and I didn’t discuss it with my parents – it was quite a taboo subject back then. I kept going back to the GP and they said it was normal over and over again.” “When I was 13, they put me on the contraceptive pill and then when I was 16, I was referred to a gynaecologist. It was only then I wondered why they were referring me to someone.” She continued, noting her solitude during those years: “Even though I was in so much pain and was bleeding so heavily, I didn’t really speak to my friends because I thought they would be going through the same. I thought I could be going over the top about this and not handling the pain very well.” Emma opened up about the moment her friends realised the severity of her condition, saying: “I mentioned to my friends that I was being referred to the hospital and when I said about how painful they were, and they were like ‘oh my god.’ They were in complete shock and that’s when alarm bells started ringing for me.” Previously diagnosed with endometriosis in her 20s, Emma underwent treatment with a medication called Prostap to simulate menopause. Despite keyhole surgery revealing adenomyosis, doctors initially missed signs of endometriosis, leading to another operation by a specialist who discovered stage four of the disease. Emma shared her medical journey, explaining: “A general gynaecologist did the surgery and they found I had adenomyosis – the sister of endo. They didn’t see any endometriosis but still believed I had it, so they referred me to an endometriosis specialist to see if I had it. They then found stage four endometriosis so thank God, they still believed me, even though they didn’t see it.” The situation escalated as Emma faced 11 more surgeries for endometriosis on top of her Prostap injections. A hysterectomy became necessary, resulting in three additional operations due to the extensive spread of endometriosis throughout her organs. For Emma, a mother, the struggle continued as she dealt with post-hysterectomy bleeding from a regrown ovary and further complications when her bowel shut down, requiring both an ileostomy and colon removal. Emma opened up about the heartbreaking effects of her illness, confessing, “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, it’s the most devasting, heartbreaking condition. It has such an effect on so many parts of your life – it’s not just my life, it’s also my husband’s and daughter’s lives.” She continued by sharing the widespread disruptions caused by her health battles: “It has destroyed so many parts of my life, it’s not just the physical pain, it’s also the emotional pain. It means I can’t work and it dictates what I do – I can’t be spontaneous and book a holiday because I’m afraid I’ll be poorly.” Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, also chimed in on the grave impact of the disease, asserting: “Endometriosis can be a debilitating condition and affects 1.5 million women in the UK. Many women struggle to get help, with average waits of 8 years to get specialist care, during which the disease may progress, leading to worsening physical symptoms and a risk of permanent organ damage.” Lindsay went on to emphasize the crucial need for education: “We need better education for women about their menstrual health, so that they seek help sooner. Our Just a Period campaign is empowering women with education and resources to take control of their menstrual health, from their first period to their last.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnHealthReal Life
