Carla Cressy started her career as a model at age five, but by 17 she kept collapsing on shoots. The culprit wasn't a dramatic runway exit, but endometriosis - a condition that took doctors 12 years to diagnose, during which they helpfully removed her appendix instead. "I was hospitalised for chronic constipation several times," she says. "I kept being told it was a stomach bug."

Carla is far from alone. An estimated one in six women with endometriosis leave the workplace because of the condition, which causes uterine-like tissue to grow outside the womb. There is currently no UK legislation protecting workers with menstrual health conditions who need time off. So Carla retrained as a beauty therapist, taking boiling hot baths between clients to ease the pain. "It was horrible, but it was the only way I could earn a living," says the 35-year-old from Essex.

Abi Smith, 27, was prescribed a gut health yoghurt at age 10 for pelvic pain. When her periods started, the pain was so bad she felt "like I was dying." She worked hunched over at the post office, vomiting in bins. Diagnosed at 21, she's now on her third medically induced menopause to manage pain. Her disability benefits have been rejected three times. "I've become a very bitter person because of all of this," she says.

Psychotherapist Dr Sula Windgassen notes that women with endometriosis are often told it's "all in their head." She's researching medical gaslighting and says dismissive care leads to worse health outcomes. Monica Thomas, 34, had to wait years for a diagnosis; the condition has now spread to her lungs, requiring surgery. She founded the charity Women's Health Hope, which opens a hub in Ipswich next month. "In a recent study 84% of women feel unheard by healthcare professionals," she says. "To give them a place where they can feel heard... it was a no-brainer."

The NHS says doctors should follow NICE guidelines and that women's health hubs are available in most areas. Because clearly, guidelines and hubs are all that's needed to fix a systemic failure that has women quitting careers, losing organs, and being told to eat yoghurt.