14-year-old girl speaks out after doctors told her she was ‘too young’ to have endometriosis

"I guess adults see it as just girls trying to get out of school," Grace said

A 14-year-old girl from Yorkshire, England, is speaking out about her experience with endometriosis after doctors repeatedly dismissed her symptoms and told her she was too young to have the condition.

Grace first experienced severe abdominal pain when she was 13. The pain was so intense that she initially feared her appendix had ruptured and went to the hospital for treatment.

“I just remember feeling this really bad pain, like stabbing, and thinking, ‘My appendix has ruptured, I need to go to the hospital,’” Grace tells People. 

The pain returned every month, eventually sending Grace to the emergency room multiple times. Doctors ruled out potentially life-threatening conditions such as appendicitis, but the family was left without an explanation for the recurring episodes.

Grace's mother, Samantha, says her daughter was sometimes given morphine because the pain was so severe.

“They do their job very well in checking it wasn't anything life-threatening, such as appendicitis,” Samantha tells PEOPLE. “And then it would result in her being given morphine because she couldn't cope with the pain.”

Grace says she began questioning whether she was imagining the symptoms herself. An ultrasound showed fluid in her abdomen, and doctors considered other possible causes, including cysts. She was also prescribed the contraceptive pill, but her symptoms continued.

The family requested a referral to a gynaecologist, but Grace says the request was rejected because she was considered too young.

“I was dismissed by so many doctors because of my age,” she tells PEOPLE. “I guess adults see it as just girls trying to get out of school.”

The family eventually sought a private medical opinion. However, Grace says the first consultation left her even more upset after a doctor told her that she could not have endometriosis because of her age.

“I was told that it couldn't be endometriosis. I'm way too young,” Grace says. She recalls that the doctor attributed her symptoms to her mental health and ADHD and told her she needed to “get back into the real world” and socialise at school.

“I was devastated after that,” Grace says. “I was literally sobbing on the way home.”

The family later found another private consultant whom Grace describes as “amazing.” She underwent a laparoscopy in June, during which doctors found and removed endometriosis.

According to Grace, doctors found endometrial tissue on the back of her uterus and uterosacral ligaments. They also discovered that her bowel had become adhered to her pelvis because of the condition.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. It can cause severe pain and may lead to cysts and adhesions.

Grace says she has been told there is a high chance the condition could return. She is now undergoing hormonal treatment in an effort to prevent its recurrence or slow the growth of endometrial tissue.

For Samantha, watching her daughter struggle without a diagnosis was heartbreaking.

“It was devastating seeing her curled up on the floor in agony,” she says. “The fact that no one could tell us what it was, and it was happening every month.”

After finally receiving a diagnosis, Grace decided to share her experience on TikTok after encouragement from the doctor who took her symptoms seriously. She hopes speaking publicly will help other young people advocate for themselves when they feel their symptoms are being dismissed.

“It's such an isolating feeling when a doctor so high up is telling you that it can't be endometriosis, and it's in your head,” Grace says. “It makes you feel crazy.”

The experience and her surgery scars have also affected Grace's confidence, but she says she is trying to remind herself of everything her body has endured.

“My body is fighting a silent battle 24/7 and not everyone has to do that,” she says. “I want to encourage girls to be proud of themselves and their bodies.”