This Instagrammer bared all to highlight the devastating effects of endometriosis

Thessy Kouzakas shared her struggle with endometriosis on Instagram with a before/after photo of herself, accompanied by the following text:

This is quite shocking to people. This is me. This is endometriosis. I never intended to share these photos hence why I’m naked, but my god I can’t believe the amount of DM’s I’ve received from girls who have endo too and feel alone.

She continued:

The left is my stomach 3 weeks after a ruptured cyst (5 weeks ago). The right is me now, on a drug called “synarel” that has stopped all my hormones and sent me into menopause at the age of 27. My upcoming trip to Greece along with this drug is in hopes to get me prepped and in the best condition both physically and mentally for an operation I’m receiving in late August.

Thessy also highlighted that endo is no joke and recommends women get check by their doctors if they suffer from bad period pain:

Endo is no joke. I’ll be operated on for 7+ hours and hospitalised for a week. Please spread the word about endo. And if you know anyone with bad period pain PLEASE tell them to get checked for this. And to my girls with endo… you’re not alone.

This condition is still relatively unknown, but it occurs when the layer of tissue that covers the inside of the uterus grows outside of it. It is important to break the silence surrounding endometriosis and normalise speaking openly about it, for all women’s sake.