Alexandra Hills woman launches jewellery line for endometriosis

Jessica Taylor, who has endometriosis, said the disease was under-diagnosed because many women believed its symptoms were normal.

Heavy bleeding, infertility and pain during intercourse can all be caused by the disease but early intervention can help.

Ms Taylor said she hoped to help raise $25,000 needed for an education program to help teen girls know if they needed to visit their GP.

She said all proceeds from her jewellery sales, sold by the Endometriosis Association Queensland, would be donated to the cause.

Endometriosis affects one in 10 women and is characterised by the growth of tissue, similar to uterine lining, in and around other parts of the body.

The disease takes eight years on average to diagnose, spurring the federal government to push its national action plan for endometriosis late last year.

The plan aims to improve the treatment, understanding and awareness of the disease.

Ms Taylor, who was given a one per cent chance of falling pregnant, said early intervention could help those with with endometriosis increase their fertility odds.

She conceived her six-month-old daughter Josie naturally but described her pregnancy down to luck.

“Josie is a miracle child,” she said.

Ms Taylor said her jewellery helped wearers tap into an “underground sisterhood” of women with the condition, as well as raising awareness.

Her earring, bracelet and necklace pendants, made from precious metals, are marked with a simple three petal emblem.

She said a stranger recognised the QENDO earrings she wore while in a cafe, with a conversation then struck up between the two.

“It was really cool,” Ms Taylor said.

Shop for Ms Taylor’s jewellery at qendo.org.au/shop.

- affects 1-in-10 Australian women.

- the tissue, similar to uterine lining, follows the menstrual cycle and bleeds, causing inflammation, scar tissue, cysts and adhesions.

- common symptoms include: pelvic pain, cramping, painful periods, painful sex, heavy bleeding, infertility, fatigue, bloating and nausea.

- endometriosis is not sexually transmitted or life threatening or contagious.

- can be extremely painful and prevent women with the condition from living normal, functional lives.

- everyone’s experience with endometriosis is different as symptoms and pain levels vary greatly between women.

- endometriosis is ‘invisible’ from the outside. It can only be diagnosed through surgery and is often mistaken for other conditions that have similar symptoms.

- it can take up to eight years for some women to be diagnosed with endometriosis.