Doctors said I was too young to have endometriosis at 13

Grace struggled with severe period pain before she was diagnosed with endometriosis Every month, at about the time of her period, Grace has to be taken to medical facility. She is often in so much pain her parents have to carry her to the car.

She can wait hours to be seen in A&E, only to be sent home in tears with more strong painkillers.

For a long time, Grace - who's now 14 and is from Yorkshire - felt doctors were dismissive of her pain. "I feel like I was seen as a girl who didn't want to go to school and was being dramatic," she says.

She was given multiple possible reasons for her symptoms: irritable bowel syndrome, a cyst, anxiety and "just a bad period". For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

But, she says, "I knew it was more than that." Grace's periods began when she was 11, and She describes it as if "heated barbed wire" were wrapped around her abdomen: "It's like my organs are being pulled apart." She is often bedbound and, whenever she has exhausted the painkillers she has at home, she has to go in to medical facility, where she is regularly given morphine.

She has also been given co-codamol and tramadol. Dependency on strong drugs like opioids worries her.

"It's scary," she says, "because I don't want to have to rely on them for the rest of my life." Grace has been hospitalised and regularly given opiods like morphine for her pain But the most frustrating thing for Grace, and why she contacted BBC Your Voice, is because she does not feel medical experts recognise that teenagers and adolescents can suffer from endometriosis.

Grace's GP did not diagnose her condition and nor did the first consultant she saw privately. She says: "Even a specialist didn't believe me. And if a specialist won't listen to me, who will?" It was not until the family pushed for a second private opinion that she got a positive diagnosis.

Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

Endometriosis, which occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it, can cause debilitating symptoms, such as pelvic pain, heavy periods and fatigue. About 10% of women are affected This week BBC presenter Emma Barnett revealed she had to have a hysterectomy for her endometriosis - which she stated she never wanted to have.

It can develop at any age once periods begin - and it is a common misconception that only older women suffer from the condition, says the charity Endometriosis UK, Faye Farthing, a spokesperson for the charity, says the government, NHS and health practitioners need to improve menstrual health education for young people "if we are to ensure the next generation are not robbed of the future they deserve".

Read More: Womens understanding of menstrual health improves with growing awareness and education.

The charity says it can take a long time to diagnose endometriosis - an average of nine years in older women. And in the early stages, for example with teenagers, it often doesn't show up on an ultrasound scan. However, new tests are being developed which will help spot the condition earlier.

Getting pregnant can be more difficult - even aged 14, Grace says she has been cautioned it is likely to affect her fertility. She's been advised she may not be able to have children after the age of 30 because of damage to her reproductive organs.

She feels rushed: "I have to have kids within the next 15 years, otherwise I might not be able to." Grace now has a diagnosis of endometriosis and is having treatment to ease her condition Paediatric gynaecologist Dr Gail Bus She says: "When you're in bed and your best friend is a hot water bottle - that's not normal." Grace's case, showing symptoms at the age of 13, is not unusual, says Dr Bus As well as her NHS work, she has opened a private adolescent endometriosis clinic in Manchester.

The impact of symptoms is not just physical. Girls like Grace are more likely to suffer with anxiety or depression because their pain affects what is an important time for educational, emotional and social development.

"We should enjoy adolescence," Dr Bus" There is a history of endometriosis in Grace's family, but her mum Samantha says that did not make it any easier to get a diagnosis.

"When your child's on the floor in pain, it's very clear it's not just a bad period. But professionals say 'Oh we'll just put you on the pill for six months and see see how we go.'" Grace has recently had a laparoscopy - keyhole surgery - to remove her endometriosis.

She hopes the procedure will help relieve her symptoms, at least temporarily.

She has been advised to take a hormonal contraceptive to help slow monthly tissue growth and lessen the pain. "I felt I was going crazy. That it was all in my head," she says.

"But actually, you know your body best and your pain is real." Women can wait years for an endometriosis diagnosis. New tech could change that Two tests GPs can soon offer to help spot endometriosis