Ms Breda McMahon:

I would suggest that in their teenage years, young girls are dismissed and told that the symptoms are normal, they need to get on with things and it is just the way it is. There is a lot of misinformation there. The other point is that as they grow up untreated, the symptoms become more severe. By the time you are presenting over the age of 25, you are probably in quite a significant amount of pain and you may be a stronger advocate for your own healthcare in terms of receiving a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.