The Traitors' Elen has opened up about her stage 4 endometriosis
Elen Wyn, the lovely Welsh translator who appeared in the most recent series of The Traitors, is using her growing social media platform to speak about her tough experience of being diagnosed – and living – with stage 4 endometriosis.
In a new TikTok video with the following words on screen, Elen looked downcast and contemplative: "My brain after finding out I have stage 4 endometriosis and it's spread to my bowel, bladder, kidney, ovaries and fallopian tubes after spending 10 years asking for help."
Endometriosis is a condition that sees cells similar to those found in the lining of the womb growing elsewhere in the body, such as the bladder and bowel. Symptoms can hugely vary from person to person but may include extremely painful periods, deep fatigue, bladder issues, trouble conceiving and pain during sex.
It's estimated that around 1.5 million people in the UK have endo, but the real figure could be much higher – as sadly, like Elen, for far too many it takes years to receive a formal diagnosis despite repeatedly asking for help. In fact, one recent study from the charity Endometriosis UK unearthed that the average diagnosis time in the UK is now nearing nine years, a number which has actually gone up in spite of pushes for greater awareness.
Elen captioned her TikTok upload with an inspiring message: "keep pushing if you're suffering 🤍"
Responding to one comment which asked whether an MRI would help with getting a diagnosis, Elen said she received her endometriosis diagnosis following a laparoscopy (a type of keyhole surgery). "They found nothing in my MRI so I had to push for a laparoscopy after this," she commented, before adding "Hope you get the answers you need."
Her recent post isn't the first time Elen has spoken about endo online either; in a previous video she opened up about not wanting to be prescribed contraceptive pills in order to possibly alleviate some endo symptoms, but rather just wanted her condition treated.
Often, those with endometriosis find their symptoms are relieved following successful surgery, however, as Cosmopolitan UK recently reported, the wait list is long and many women have gotten into debt after paying to go private.
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