Manchester Evening News
·25 Aug 2026
Mum 'lay on bathroom floor' in agony after doctors dismissed extreme pain for seven years
Franchesca Rafter says doctors dismissed severe period pain, painful sex and digestive symptoms for seven years before a 2016 laparoscopy diagnosed endometriosis. She describes debilitating pain, two miscarriages in 2023 and difficult symptoms after giving birth to her daughter in 2024. Now pregnant again, Rafter is calling for more research, earlier diagnosis and treatment options beyond hormonal contraception.