Katja Snoeijs realised something was wrong when she felt “stabbing” pains and was forced off at half-time against West Ham last season.
“The cramps around my womb and my belly were just horrible. Even the back pain, it’s just hard standing up straight, let alone sprinting or running,” she said.
“It was a really emotional moment. It’s really hard as a football player to come off a pitch unless like you have a broken leg or something.”
Having to be substituted because of the pain was a turning point for the Everton forward, and the start of her journey towards an endometriosis diagnosis.
Endometriosis is a chronic, often painful, condition that occurs when cells similar to the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body.
It frequently leads to heavy, painful menstrual periods that can disrupt everyday life.
It is common, affecting one in 10 women in the UK, but it takes an average of eight years and 10 months, external to properly diagnose.
For Snoeijs, it was quicker. After the game against West Ham, she made an appointment with a gynaecologist, but – like many other women with endometriosis – she did not get the answers she wanted.
Back at square one, she turned to Everton’s club doctor and, after a series of tests showed her symptoms matched up with endometriosis, it was recommended she have keyhole surgery – the only definitive way to diagnose the condition.
Up until then, Snoeijs – who was born with a hole in her heart and a leg that grew to be six centimetres longer than the other – had sought to just handle her pain.
“Until I got the diagnosis, it was really challenging because I felt I was constantly doubting myself,” she said. “You’re like: ‘Is this real? Is what I feel normal?’
“You know something is wrong, but because you’re so used to pushing through the pain you try to ignore it as long as possible.”
After having surgery a few weeks ago, the 29-year-old is already feeling the benefits.
“Just getting a diagnosis helps me understand myself better and that will help me become a better football player,” she said.
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