21-04-2025
Mum's rare diagnosis after she started bleeding from her belly button
A mum-of-two was diagnosed with a rare form of endometriosis after she started bleeding from her belly button. Ceri Bruinsma, 43 was referred to the gynaecology department at Liverpool Women's Hospital after years of fighting for answers to understand the cause of her debilitating symptoms.
After having the contraceptive implant removed in 2020, the mum-of-two started bleeding from her belly button, with the bleeding getting heavier during each menstrual period, until she began to pass blood clots.
She also experienced symptoms such as swelling to her stomach, weight gain, extreme fatigue and pain.
READ MORE: Full list of 55 traders at Southport Food and Drink Festival 2025
READ MORE: Liverpool families are missing out on over £750,000 - find out if you are eligible
She said: 'I've always had erratic and extremely painful periods, not being able to get out of bed. That was just a normal period for me.
'When I got a flare up before my periods, I'd be lying on the bathroom floor with pain. I couldn't walk for a few days after.'
Prior to being referred to Liverpool's Women's Hospital, Bruinsma claims she experienced push back from doctors who told her that endometriosis is too rare to be the cause of her problems. She was instead, prescribed antibiotics and sent for a CT scan to understand her symptoms.
However, an MRI in 2022, showed umbilical endometriosis, a rare form of the disease affecting only 0.5-1% of women with the condition.
Endometriosis tissue had formed in a hernia 'sack' behind her belly button, with the cause of the hernia unknown. The 43-year-old has an appointment in May to discuss the surgical treatment required to remove the endometriosis tissue and repair the hernia, five years on from her initial GP appointment.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body. Later stages of the condition can cause 'frozen pelvis, a condition where endometrial scar tissue joins pelvic organs together, causing them to lock in place.
Endometriosis affects one in ten women in the UK, with an average diagnosis of the condition taking over eight years from initial GP appointments for symptoms.
The mum was offered hormone replacement therapy to place her into an early menopause in an attempt to manage her symptoms while waiting for surgical treatment.
Ceri said: 'Don't let them convince you that these things are normal. A lot of people have been told that periods are meant to be painful. That's not true. You've got to become like a lawyer, with your case and the evidence, and show you've done the research.'
