I went to my doctor with debilitating pain at 21 - but all he did was tell me I might have an STD and 'get pregnant' to deal with my symptoms. He was wrong
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Lauren Jeffries was only 20 years old when she started experiencing 'strange' symptoms neither she nor her doctor could explain. The young woman suffered through months of 'sharp, stabbing' pelvic pain that crashed over her in waves, endless itchiness in her private parts, a feeling she 'constantly' needed to go to the toilet.
![[The young woman suffered through months of 'sharp, stabbing' pelvic pain that crashed over her in waves, endless itchiness in her private parts, and felt like she 'constantly' needed to go to the toilet]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/13/05/93025969-14176221-The_young_woman_suffered_through_months_of_sharp_stabbing_pelvic-a-2_1734067570503.jpg)
Not only did her GP fail to give her a diagnosis, he told her she might have an STD and suggested getting pregnant to 'solve' all her problems. Speaking to FEMAIL, the now 31-year-old reflects on the arduous journey she went through trying to figure out what was wrong with her.
![[Lauren said she was only 21 and still at university when her doctor suggested getting pregnant]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/03/93025955-14176221-image-a-37_1733889579689.jpg)
'I thought I had a urinary tract infection (UTI) so I went to my GP for medication - but the pain only got worse,' she said. 'I went back several times and kept getting misdiagnosed.'. Lauren felt like her doctor was throwing diagnoses at a wall and hoping one would stick - from suggestions she had an unplanned pregnancy to sexually-transmitted diseases.
![[Lauren said that her pain was akin to a 'sharp, stabbing' sensation that made her 'double over' until it passed]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/04/93025959-14176221-Lauren_said_that_her_pain_was_akin_to_a_sharp_stabbing_sensation-a-2_1733890110406.jpg)
'I felt so dismissed and misunderstood - I don't know why he thought I had an STD. I had no symptoms for it, just lots of pain and fatigue,' she said. 'When I finally got diagnosed with endometriosis a year later, my doctor told me I should consider getting pregnant because he said it would help with my pain.'.
![[Lauren hoped that her symptoms would go away after the surgery - but that was not the case]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/13/05/93025977-14176221-Lauren_hoped_that_her_symptoms_would_go_away_after_the_surgery_b-a-1_1734067570498.jpg)
That bizarre piece of advice is a common myth about endometriosis that has no scientific foundation. Lauren Jeffries was only 20-years-old when she started experiencing 'strange' symptoms neither she nor her doctor could explain. The young woman suffered through months of 'sharp, stabbing' pelvic pain that crashed over her in waves, endless itchiness in her private parts, and felt like she 'constantly' needed to go to the toilet.
![[Lauren was worried the pain would 'last forever' - but her doctor later started her on 'life-changing' medication]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/01/93025979-14176221-Lauren_was_worried_the_pain_would_last_forever_but_her_doctor_la-a-2_1733966131106.jpg)
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