Since the age of eleven, Rachel has missed out on so many of the important things in life. Her education, her twenties, and spending time with her children.
Her excruciating hidden condition has robbed the mum-of-three of what should have been some of the happiest times. And still, there is no end for her in sight.
The 34-year-old from Manchester was diagnosed with endometriosis when she was a young girl. At first, it was categorised by extremely heavy and painful periods which caused her to miss out on a huge chunk of her education. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. The condition, which is notoriously difficult to diagnose despite affecting one in ten women, occurs where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places.
But unlike many misconceptions held about the disease, Rachel, which is not her real name, doesn't just feel pain in her reproductive organs - or when she's on her period.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk