'Adenomyosis may be invisible, its impact is not'

'Adenomyosis may be invisible, its impact is not'Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleEmily SinclairSouth EastBBCSufferers say they feel their pain is too often dismissed by doctorsAt least one in 10 women live with adenomyosis, a womb condition which can cause heavy, painful and irregular periods with one sufferer saying her pain got so bad it she felt like she had a "chainsaw" inside her. Mathilde Barker, a content creator from Surrey who has both adenomyosis and endometriosis, said: "When I was at my worst, it genuinely felt like I had a mass in my uterus, and that it was dragging behind me."Adenomyosis is a condition where the lining of the uterus begins to grow into the muscle of the womb. A spokesperson from the Department for Health and Social Care told the BBC: "It is deeply concerning that so many women feel dismissed when they come forward with pain."Warning: This article discusses distressing themesAdenomyosis shares a lot of symptoms with endometriosis, but the two conditions are different. With endometriosis, the cells grow outside the womb, and can appear in other parts of the body, whereas with adenomyosis they only grow inside the womb. Mathilde BarkerBefore her diagnosis, Mathilde Barker was told she had medical anxiety and was put on a course of cognitive behavioral therapy.Barker has over 500,000 followers across her Tik Tok and Instagram and said very quickly her audience "became these people with these symptoms".The 22-year-old was diagnosed with endometriosis aged 19, following laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, and adenomyosis two years later.Lauren BucklandLauren Buckland experiences extremely heavy bleeding meaning she often has to wear both a tampon and sanitary pad to manage her flowLife with the condition is frustrating for lots of women. Lauren Buckland, 36, said she gets regular random "stabbing" pains in her uterus, lower back, hip and pelvis. She said: "[Once] I was w...