'Doctors ignored my endometriosis symptoms for a decade and now I have to mourn the loss of the kids I can't have'

A woman who dreamed of becoming a mum had to have a hysterectomy, after it took a decade and ten different doctors to get treatment for her severe endometriosis.

Jemma Mondon, 41, was in her late twenties when she began experiencing painful, heavy periods, along with severe stomach pains.

She went to the doctor about her symptoms, but they told her it was irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and advised her to keep a food diary.

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But Jemma, from Kidderminster, West Midlands, said that her symptoms just worsened, to the point she walked at a 45-degree angle and limped from the pain.

She said she saw a string of different GPs and gynaecologists in the years that followed and she said that they all just "dismissed" her.

After 10 years she went for a private scan which revealed endometrial tissue on her reproductive organs.

By the time she had an operation, the endometrial tissue had spread so widely that she needed a full hysterectomy, meaning she would never fulfil her dream of having children.

Jemma said she found the decade-long experience so painful and traumatic that she considered ending her life at points.

She now wants to raise awareness and encourage women to "advocate for themselves" when they suspect they have a reproductive condition.

Jemma, a finance manager, said: "My stomach would completely blow up and my periods were so heavy and painful. I was always tired and I couldn't even walk properly but doctors kept saying nothing was wrong and discharging me.

"I thought I was losing my mind - that life was just more difficult for me somehow. I ended up on antidepressants - I felt like I couldn't do it any more.

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