Body art shines a light on underdiagnosed disease which affects one in 10 during Endometriosis Action Month

A Delph woman who has been battling for a diagnosis for seven years has bared all to raise awareness of a hidden and devastating condition - and the resulting images are now on show at Gallery Oldham.

Student Rhiannon Armstrong, who is 21, says she first visited the doctor aged just 14 with symptoms including heavy, irregular, painful periods and extreme bloating.

But despite having many of the main markers of endometriosis, she was repeatedly dismissed, being told it was just her hormones, what she was going through was totally normal, and that she was being dramatic.

As Rhiannon's condition worsened, she started to experience numbness in her legs and pain so severe she has passed out and been hospitalised on several occasions.

Seven years on, she still doesn't have an official diagnosis, though scans have confirmed that the disease has led to some of her internal organs sticking together, causing serious pain and other symptoms.

In the hope of raising awareness of endometriosis and the impact it has on the lives of over 1.5 million people in the UK, Rhiannon signed up to take part in a project called Endomorphosis this Endometriosis Action Month.

The creative venture, run by Mossley's Cabasa Carnival Arts, saw ten women from Greater Manchester who are living with endometriosis turn their bodies into canvases.

The women, aged between 21 and 39, worked with body painters to translate their feelings about endometriosis into a living artwork.

The pictures were taken by photographer Eveline Ludlow and are currently on display at Gallery Oldham.

Emily Wood, aged 40, is Cabasa's artistic director and also has endometriosis.

She said: “Your whole body goes through so much and for me it led to negative thoughts and feelings about my body that became detrimental to my mental health and well-being.

"Endometriosis is a whole-body disease, both physically and mentally, so I wanted to create a project which represented that.

"By delivering this project myself as an artist and painting a group of women who have been on a similar journey and seeing them transform was even more powerful than I could have imagined

"We have brought together a group of incredible women with endometriosis and local artists as part of Endometriosis Action Month.

"In these collaborative sessions, participants shared their experiences and explored how body painting could best represent them and their stories.

"We finished the project with a day of body painting and captured some amazing and powerful images, which participants can hold onto forever."

Rhiannon said: "I got involved because I have never seen or heard of anyone wanting to raise awareness of endometriosis and I want to play a small part in that awareness.

"The disease causes me such severe pain I've been hospitalised, nearly needed blood transfusions and I've passed out.

"My legs go numb and tingly, almost like I have severely constricting shorts on, and of course I have irregular, heavy and painful periods with major bloating.

"The idea of the life long surgeries I will need to control the disease scares me and I dread it all.

"I think the pictures are gorgeous, but I’m incredibly self conscious about the way I look in them and as much as I love them, for me I wish I looked different because unfortunately I just have that view of myself.

"Seeing them makes me weirdly grateful that I’m not alone but also sad that there are so many other people also suffering with endometriosis."

Sophie May Heald, a 31-year-old dog walker and housesitter from Saddleworth, also bared all to take part in the project.

Despite having had over 25 scans since 2017, she is still awaiting an official endometriosis diagnosis.

Sophie May said: "I first had symptoms while living in New Zealand in 2017, which included severe right-sided pelvic pain which left me hospitalised and on morphine.

"I started hormone treatment last April which has fortunately suppressed my symptoms and I am awaiting a laparoscopy, which is keyhole surgery, so a doctor can have a proper look at what is going on.

"The pictures are amazing, and I feel really proud to have taken part in this project."

This March, Cabasa Carnival Arts will be working with a second group of people living with endometriosis to create a further series of images at The Vale in Mossley.

The body art will be captured by former Manchester City photographer Sharon Latham.

You can find out how to get involved on Cabasa's website.

Endometriosis causes cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb to be found elsewhere in the body.

Each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding.

Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape and causes pain, scarring and inflammation.

Symptoms can include chronic pain, fatigue, painful intercourse and infertility.

An inquiry published in 2020 found that it takes on average eight years from the onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis.

Endomorphosis is at Gallery Oldham (Gallery 4) until March 25, 2023.

Entry is free and opening hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.