‘A secret little world’:Disclosing

‘A secret little world’:
Disclosing symptoms
Living with the unpleasant and diverse symptoms of
endometriosis was a deeply private affair for the women in
this study. Menstruation problems and bowel and bladder
pain and irregularities are not easily disclosed even though
they affected the women profoundly. Work raised particular
problems as pain and other issues affected the
women’s everyday functioning. One woman commented,
for instance, that she could not take meeting minutes
because gastrointestinal problems meant she needed to go
the toilet frequently and, at times, urgently.
Diagnoses and physical problems were not always
revealed to employers and colleagues, one woman stating
‘it can be quite a secret little world you live in’ (Lucy).
There were varied reasons for non-disclosure. One critical
issue was the gender-specific nature of endometriosis
and some women were not prepared to discuss the symptoms
with male employers as Jones et al.7 also found.
Another reason for not disclosing symptoms or a diagnosis
of endometriosis was concerns about being pressured to
discontinue work. Kitty took quite a bit of sick leave with
a knowledgeable manager, but when he left and a new
manger took over she found her: