It’s Endometriosis Awareness Week – we’re giving away TWO Beurer Cosy HK49 Heat Pads and helping to raise awareness.

Endometriosis affects around 1 in 10 women, calculating around 2 million just across the UK and 176 million worldwide. What I couldn’t get my head around is how this condition is so common but so many women are completely unaware of what Endometriosis actually is! Me being one of the many women! Endometriosis is a medical condition where the endometrial cells that line the womb migrate to other areas of the body such as outside the fallopian tubes, on the ovaries or on the pelvic organs. Just like the cells that are inside the womb, the endometrial cells that are found elsewhere build up, break down and bleed. But unlike the cells found in the womb, the blood has no way of exiting the body. This leads to chronic and incredibly severe painful, heavy periods and can cause problems in the bowel, bladder and pelvic region, it can also lead to infertility, depression and fatigue. When the endometriosis cells bleed they can cause inflammation, pain and can form scar tissue on the affected areas. This condition can affect all women and girls, regardless to race and ethnicity. Most women can live with Endometriosis for years and be completely unaware that they have the condition; it’s estimated that it can take up to 8 years for a woman to first visit her doctor about their symptoms. There is no definite answer to how or why Endometriosis is caused and unfortunately there is no cure, however you can ease the pain with painkillers and surgery. So how is it, that one of the most common female medical conditions is unheard of? I wasn’t ever taught it at school, and it can take a woman up to 8 years to think that something “isn’t quite right”. We are all told that when Aunt Flo comes to visit it isn’t always pleasant; we get cramps, some of us experience heavy bleeding and we get a little temperamental. But how can you define what’s normal and what isn’t normal? Here are a few symptoms that women experience when they suffer with Endometriosis:

• Periods that are irregular, heavy and incredibly painful
• Experiencing pain when going to the toilet
• Fatigue
• Severe pelvic pain between your periods
• Pain during and after sex
• Infertility

If you have to take days off work or find that you are stopping yourself from activities and sport when Aunt Flo is here due to excruciating pain, have a chat with your GP; it is quite difficult to diagnose Endometriosis, so the more information you have for your Doctor, the better. If you believe that you suffer with Endometriosis, start yourself a diary; logging in when your period started/ended, the pains and the symptoms. In some cases women who have suspected that they have Endometriosis have gone to their doctors several times to be told that they are “fine”; you can read ladies’ stories of Endometriosis on their website. Here at StressNoMore we want to raise awareness for Endometriosis and this week we are giving away TWO Beurer Cosy HK49 Heating Pad to two lucky people; lying down with a heat pad can be really effective in relieving back, abdominal and pelvic pain. Here’s how you can enter: Enter now and you could win yourself a Beurer Cosy HK49 Heating Pad To have a chance in entering our competition to win an amazing Beurer Cosy HK49, here’s what you have to do:

1. Liking and sharing our Facebook page
2. Following us on Twitter and tweet @stressnomoreuk #endometriosisawarenessweek #letstalkperiods
3. Leaving us a comment on this blog – what are your tips for dealing with period pains?

You can do all three, giving three entries and three chances of winning! a Rafflecopter giveaway After submitting your entry, make sure that you click on the “I’ve tweeted”, “I’ve commented”, “I’ve visited” button, so your entry is counted. For example: After tweeting us, copy and paste the URL tweet and then click this button: Good luck! If you want more information about Endometriosis; all information has been collected from the Endometriosis organisation website. If you believe Endometriosis should get faster diagnosis & greater education among the medical profession, you can sign the petition to David Cameron on the Endometriosis website. Competition closes Tuesday 10th of March at 4:00pm. The winner will notified by email, and must claim within one week. Offer open to UK residents aged 18 and over.