The Cambridgeshire woman describes the pain as “being stabbed repeatedly and then left bruised internally for days afterwards”
A Cambridgeshire woman with endometriosis who spends “probably three weeks out of the four every month” in excruciating pain was told by doctors to “have another baby – it’ll stop the pain”.
Cherie Bane, 39, from March, has been living with endometriosis for 25 years. She has struggled with the condition since she was 14, although she did not receive her official diagnosis until she was 36.
Endometriosis is a long-term condition where tissue similar to the uterus lining grows outside of it and causes symptoms including intense period pains.
Cherie said: “Between the ages of 14 and 24, I lost count of how many times I ended up in hospital with severe pain.”
Despite being prescribed medications to cope with the pain, the only thing that Cherie finds comfort in is a hot water bottle. From her teens through to her early 30s, she said she was “told repeatedly by doctors to ‘have another baby – it will stop the pain.’”
Cherie is grateful to have had children but “pregnancy did not stop the pain”, she said. From the age of 24, Cherie stopped going to hospital as often because “I couldn’t leave my children not knowing when I would be back”. She added: “The thought of being admitted and not being able to care for them terrified me.”
In August 2023, following an MRI scan, Cherie was officially diagnosed with deep infiltrating endometriosis in several areas. Since Cherie’s diagnosis, she has had two clinic appointments and is currently on the waiting list for a total laparoscopic hysterectomy and excision of endometriosis.
However, Cherie has reportedly been told that even with a hysterectomy, there is no guarantee it will fix the pain or stop the spread of the endometriosis.
She said: “I live in pain probably three weeks out of the four every month. My husband has to pick me up off the bathroom floor because I pass out.”
After coming around, following a “crippling” episode, Cherie said she finds herself drenched in sweat and shaking. She added: “The pain feels like being stabbed repeatedly and then left bruised internally for days afterwards.”
Cherie explained that is not only the physical pain she struggles with but the condition has also impacted her work life due to the amount of time she has taken off because of the pain.
She added: “I am fortunate now that I do work from home, so when I do have bad days, I can sit on the sofa with my laptop, a hot water bottle and try and get through what I can. After 25 years of fighting to be believed, I am still fighting.”

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