Why Conversations With Friends’ realistic portrayal of endometriosis is so important

One of many women affected by the condition, Catherine Lough explains why it’s a rare relief to see the condition depicted on screen.

Alison Oliver as Frances in Conversations with Friends who suffers with endometriosis.

Conversations With Friends– the new Sally Rooney BBC adaptation – has certainly got people talking.

It’s fair to say central character Frances, brilliantly played by Alison Oliver, is a little irritating. A navel-gazing 21-year-old trying to make her way as a writer, navigate complex relationships and support her alcoholic dad – we see her bully a poor Tinder date for admiring Yeats, and get called out by her ex, Bobbi (played by a luminous Sasha Lane) for being patronising.