Cramps and stomach ache are all part of the monthly cycle for most women but for Lucy Patterson, the pain leaves her bedridden and dosed up on strong painkillers

The 21-year-old has to take 40mg of morphine some days because of the agony caused by the condition endometriosis.

And far from being a once a month problem, Lucy says the condition is affecting every aspect of her life.

Her GP suggested she joined a support group but she found there wasn’t one in Medway – so she has started one herself.

The former Chapter School pupil from Strood said: “I shouldn’t have to live like this at 21. It’s not fair.

“I shouldn’t have to live like this at 21. It’s not fair. I’m on three types of medication just to get me through the day.” - Lucy

“Most 21-year-olds are out clubbing and I can’t do that.

“I’m on three types of medication just to get me through the day.

“If I don’t take medication for pain relief, I can’t walk around the house and I can’t get up in the morning.”

The condition means cells lining the womb migrate to other parts of the body and react in the same way during a period, by breaking down and bleeding, but there is nowhere for the blood to go.

Research shows that on average, a woman waits seven and a half years from first seeing a doctor about their symptoms to receiving a firm diagnosis for endometriosis.

As a teenager, Lucy thought she was just having really bad periods, but in 2010 her mother took her to Medway Maritime Hospital with severe pains across her stomach and down her legs.

She spent a week in hospital but neither the surgical team or gynaecology department were able to help her.

She then went to the BUPA hospital in Maidstone where diagnostic surgery found she had severe endometriosis across her bowels, kidneys, pelvis and her womb.

“I can’t be the only woman in Medway suffering with endometriosis who would like a support group to vent and rant and get a little bit of extra help?” - Lucy

In March 2011, she had a five-hour operation to remove the cells.

She is due to have a second operation this month and will then start hormone treatment which will stop her periods.

Lucy lives with partner Matthew Lawrence and his daughters Lily, seven, and Jazmyn, five, and would like to have children of her own one day but will have to come off the treatment, which means the endometriosis could come back.

“I can’t be the only woman in Medway suffering with endometriosis who would like a support group to vent and rant and get a little bit of extra help,” she said.

The group can be found on Facebook by searching for Endometriosis Support Group Kent and Medway.