Why do we wait so long to do something about it?

Most women don't ignore symptoms because they don't care. In fact, it's often the opposite. We're busy caring for everybody else.

Life gets busy.

Work needs doing.

The kids need collecting.

Meals need cooking.

There are appointments to remember, shopping to buy and a never-ending list of things that need attention.

And somehow, looking after ourselves drops to the bottom of the list

Often, we tell ourselves:

"I'll see how it goes."

"It's probably nothing."

"Maybe next month will be better."

"I just need a bit more rest."

And that makes complete sense; most symptoms don't arrive overnight.

They tend to creep in gradually, a little discomfort here, a little restriction there.

Something that feels slightly different but not quite serious enough to do anything about. Until months or years have quietly passed.

Along the way, we adapt. Sometimes without even realising it.

We start avoiding certain foods.

We plan around periods or ovulation.

We change how we move.

We avoid activities that we know might make things worse.

We make sure we know where the nearest toilets are.

We do a safety wee before leaving the house, even when we don't actually need one.

We carry things "just in case."

None of these things feels particularly significant on its own, but together they tell a story. A story about how much space a symptom has quietly started taking up in our lives.

The thing is, when we adapt for long enough, we stop questioning it.

We stop asking:

"Is this normal for me?"

And we start assuming:

"This is just how things are now."

The adaptations become habits. The habits become routine. And before long, what once felt unusual starts to feel completely normal.

One of the biggest shifts I see in my clinic isn't physical at all. It's when a woman becomes curious.

When she stops asking:

"Can I cope with this?"

And starts asking:

"Do I actually need to keep coping with this?"

That question changes everything. Because it opens the door to possibility.

To understand what might be contributing. And to recognise that things don't always have to stay the way they are.

Sometimes the first step isn't treatment. Sometimes it's simply recognising that something has been taking up more space in your life than it should.

And asking yourself whether it really needs to stay that way.

Love, always

Dawn xx