Working Life: Endometriosis adds another layer to your fertility journey

Alison Glennon, clinical midwife specialist in endometriosis, The Coombe Hospital, Dublin 

Alison Glennon, clinical midwife specialist in endometriosis, The Coombe Hospital, Dublin.

“I was late to the game in terms of nursing. I left school after Junior Cert and worked mainly in hospitality, but that changed after I gave birth to my daughter, Emily, at age 18. I wanted to show her you could have a career even if you didn’t go down the traditional route.

“After completing a pre-nursing PLC in Bray in 2011 — I won student of the year — I went on to TCD as a mature student, where the midwifery course was linked in with The Coombe and the Rotunda.

“I’m a Crumlin girl, so of course I chose the Coombe. After I qualified, I spent my first couple of years in the Coombe Emergency Department.

I noticed a real gap in gynaecology services, with women facing significant delays accessing treatment because of long waiting lists.

“While I was out on maternity leave after giving birth to my second daughter, Lucy — she’s three, and Emily is now 21 and studying English in UCD — I decided I’d like a new challenge. I had previously set up a routine ante-natal service at The Coombe, but I was still drawn to women’s health and gynaecology services. A job came up for a clinical midwife specialist in endometriosis, so I went for it.

“I started in November 2023 and I was the first person in The Coombe to hold the position. The clinic had started in 2020, and back then, there was a two-year waiting list. It’s down to six months now, and we offer women an array of services to manage their care holistically.

“Endometriosis, which affects one in seven, is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, predominantly in the pelvis, but it is a whole-body condition. Symptoms can include constant fatigue, painful periods and pain during sex. We try to manage symptoms so that women at our clinic have a better quality of life.

“Endometriosis doesn’t equal infertility, but it does add another layer to your fertility journey. The general advice for women is to avail of fertility services if they haven’t conceived after a year of trying, but for women with endometriosis, we would lower the threshold to six months.

“In saying that, lots of women in our clinic have had a healthy, normal pregnancy.”