18-07-2025
'It's madness': Kerry teen had to trek through three countries to get her endometriosis diagnosed
'It's madness that we had to leave the country twice to try and get a diagnosis."
That is according to the mother of a teenage girl whose endometriosis was not diagnosed for three years by doctors in Cork, Kerry, and even Spain before finally she was told by a clinic in Romania what was causing her to have crippling stomach cramps, vomiting, and back pain.
'Endometriosis is being spoken about a lot recently in Ireland, but that talk needs to be followed with action." said Lorraine Fitzgerald.
Kaysey O'Connor is 16 now, but since she was around 13 she was blighted by the symptoms of endometriosis.
Endometriosis — 'the missed disease'
During that time, she was told she had cysts, kidney stones, and ovulation pain and more after MRI scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays.
The condition is estimated to affect one in 10 girls and women globally. It is known as 'the missed disease' as worldwide it can take up to 10 years to diagnose. There is no cure, but symptoms can be eased with treatment.
Kaysey has been seen in University Hospital Kerry, Cork University Hospital, Cork University Maternity Hospital, and a Spanish hospital also.
However, until she was seen in a Romanian private specialist clinic, she did not have a name for what was wrong with her. Lorraine said:
The day we went to Romania my daughter was one of three Irish women that day, just that day, in the clinic.
She described Dáil discussions this week on endometriosis care as 'very disheartening'.
The HSE could not comment on Kaysey's case directly but a spokesperson said: 'The HSE acknowledges that endometriosis care in Ireland has historically been challenging. For this reason, the management of endometriosis has been established as a key priority for the HSE, with significant progress achieved in recent years.'
This includes a network of clinics including in Cork, although the HSE also acknowledged recruitment challenges for these clinics.
They said other developments being worked on now include a national awareness campaign for the public and better resources for patients.
