Endometriosis: Woman told pregnancy would help her symptoms 

Stacey Cummins: 'Some days I can’t even work sitting up in bed because of the pain, or I could spend the day vomiting. I just have no quality of life.'

Suffering from unbearable pain in her early 20s, Stacey Cummins was told multiple times pregnancy was the answer to her endometriosis.

Her symptoms started when she was 15. From there, it only went downhill.

At 17, she experienced severe pain while urinating and was sent to a gastroenterologist. She underwent two colonoscopies, and was told it was “more than likely to be irritable bowel syndrome”.

The Dublin woman first heard of endometriosis while at the acupuncturist. After mentioning it to her GP, she was referred to Beaumont Hospital, where she was told they would not be able to diagnose her until she got a laparoscopy — for which there was an 18-month waiting list.

At the time, she was a nursing student missing out on placement. Feeling “deflated”, Stacey asked to be referred to a private clinic and ended up paying “out of her own pocket” as she did not have private health insurance. In May 2018, she had her first laparoscopy, which did not bring her any pain relief.

This article is part of a series on endometriosis. Read more below:

‘My body was ripping itself apart from inside out’: Limerick woman recalls her endometriosis journey;

'My gynaecologist actually said to me: 'I can’t help you'': Cork woman sought surgery in Romania after ‘barriers’ faced in Ireland;

Kerry woman fearing medical negligence 'ready to put in a formal complaint';

Comment: Ireland's healthcare system doesn't listen to endometriosis patients.

“Pregnancy had been brought up before this, but I was a student nurse, and I hadn’t been qualified,” she recalls. “I still lived at home with my parents. Me and my partner were together four years, but I was still only 23 at this stage, so a baby definitely wasn’t in my plans.”

After talking about it extensively, the couple decided to try for a baby. Stacey had a miscarriage, but eventually ended up getting pregnant for a second time in February 2020, with her son, Alex.

After her pregnancy, she was once again in pain and was put into an early menopause.

You’re getting the full experience of the menopause as a 25-year-old and it’s a lot. You’re getting the hot flushes, mood swings. During all this, I had postnatal depression as well, so it was very hard.

“It just proved that being pregnant didn’t actually help my symptoms at all.”

In March 2021, Stacey underwent a second laparoscopy. For a while, her symptoms got better — until August 2023. Once again, she heard: “Maybe if you have another baby.”

“It’s hard enough being in so much chronic pain that you depend on everyone else to help,” she says. “Every time I saw the consultant, he pushed pregnancy no matter what.”

After a third laparoscopy in March 2024, pregnancy was once again put on the table. “At that age when you’re in so much pain and you don’t really know much about endometriosis, I definitely felt like it was pushed on me more.

“It’s nearly like a physiotherapist telling you to buy a good pair of walking shoes to stop your pain.”

Even though she says having Alex was the “best thing I ever did”, she can’t help but question the medical advice given to her.

“If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have had him until I was probably early 30s. It was: ‘The younger you are, the better chance you have of getting pregnant.’

“That’s really scary when you think ‘if it means I’m never going to have a child, I’ll have one now in case I never get to have one’.”

Two weeks ago, Stacey travelled to Romania for an MRI. Soon, she will travel back there for surgery.

It hit me yesterday how significant it is to actually have to leave to go to a different country to seek the help that should be available in your home country.

“But some days I can’t even work sitting up in bed because of the pain, or I could spend the day vomiting. I just have no quality of life.”

Despite only being five, her son knows about her condition. “He knows how to say the word and he knows: ‘Mommy can’t do that today because she’s sick with endometriosis.’ ”