Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Yesterday, we had a fantastic briefing in the audiovisual room that was organised by the Leader. As someone who suffers from endometriosis, I know it is an excruciating and debilitating condition. There is so much to a condition like endometriosis that is unseen. It can affect sufferers at any time of the day or month. It is not just about one particular week of the month.

I welcome that the Government has moved forward on introducing endometriosis clinics in specialist regional hubs. This means that for the first time, there is recognition that endometriosis is a very hard condition for many people. One in ten women have it. They are only the ones we know about, given it takes such a long time to get a diagnosis. With the better healthcare provision we now have in Ireland and the acknowledgement that women's healthcare actually should exist, I hope we will see great advances in care. To my fellow sufferers of endometriosis, I say there is hope and they are not unheard.It can be a soul-destroying condition. It travels with a person and affects their mental health. Sufferers do not know when they are going to be in agony. If someone is in agony, most days she will have to walk along with it, put on a positive face and smile, even though she might not be able to sit down without feeling pain. People in Government know about this. I encourage sufferers to keep the chin up because there is nothing without hope.