First endometriosis charity in the South of Scotland lends support to hundreds across the region

The South of Scotland has gained its first dedicated charity for sufferers of endometriosis.

Endo S.O.S aims to support those with the condition as well as their friends and family.

Founder Tao McCready launched an online support group in 2019 run by volunteers to help those living with endometriosis, a painful condition where the lining of the womb grows elsewhere around the body.

She said: "We're not just a little support group now on social media. We do mean business, and we do want change for Scotland as a whole. And that has always been my mission to change the view of the general public and also the medical community.

The online support group Endo S.O.S Support has hundreds of members on its private Facebook page.

One user, Sarah, has been part of the group from the beginning. She said: "I couldn't function at all. I was bed bound. I would curl up in a ball in bed, cry and beg my mum to make the pain stop.

"The (support) group is amazing. There's no words to describe just how many people this group has reached out to to help over the years. It gives people with endo a chance to realize they aren't on their own. They are not alone in fighting this." 

Hannah is the Support groups Social Media Manager and said: "I battled for just about five years, the average is about eight years so it wasn't as much. But in the end I had to go private."

The newly formed charity says that one of its aims is to work with local NHS health boards to provide signposting in GP Practices and other key locations for where to find help and support.

They also have medical trustees so anyone seeking help can access specialists in Endometriosis. 

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