The Instagram caption reads, ‘I can’t wait for the adventures we haven’t even dreamed of yet,’ as the video zooms out, we see a black and white video of Molly-Mae Hauge cradling her growing baby bump alongside her boyfriend Tommy Fury.
Yesterday the Love Islander turned Creative Director announced on Instagram that she is expecting her first child alongside a sweet video montage. The internet practically blew up within minutes with many past Islanders and fans congratulating the couple on their next step as they expand their family.
Whilst every pregnancy announcement is a joyful one, Molly-Mae’s announcement is particularly meaningful to so many women. It’s not just because we followed her on her journey to finding love on hit dating show (so are naturally invested), but because of her openness surrounding her struggles withendometriosis.
In June 2021 Molly Mae-Hague revealed she was diagnosed with the condition in a detailed 20-minute Youtube video. Endometriosis is a chronic condition – affecting 1.5 million women - which occurs when tissue from the lining of the womb is found outside of the womb - in areas of the body including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, abdomen and bladder.
In the video explaining her condition she told fans of the ‘excruciating’ pain she suffers whilst on her period and during sex. The reality star pointed out that the condition it is often debilitating. ‘It got so bad, I would be rolling in bed, and I would actually be fearful for my life, thinking for my body to be in this much agonising pain, what is it going through?" she recalled. ‘I genuinely used to be in that much pain that I was fearful I wouldn’t wake up in the morning. It was so so horrendous.’ Despite having keyhole surgery to alleviate the symptoms, Molly-Mae revealed that a lot of the pain she experiences hasn't gone away.
Endometriosis is also associated with an increased risk of difficulty becoming pregnant, or infertility. At the end of the clip, Molly-Mae looked towards the future and how the condition might affect her fertility. She revealed, 'It's not a good thing that I have endometriosis, because obviously it can affect fertility and loads of other things, and you can never really cure it.'
So, for many women with endometriosis seeing her pregnancy announcement was just another reason to remain hopeful - and many took to the internet to express just that. One Twitter user wrote, ‘I can’t believe Molly-Mae is pregnant. It’s so hard for women with endometriosis and pcos to have children – ‘I’m so happy for her.’ Another tweet read ‘More and more women with endo announcing their pregnancies is filling me with so much hope.’ This user also highlighted the fear surrounding fertility and commented, ‘This is literally why I’m so happy for her. One of the first things doctors tell you with endometriosis is that you’re going to have fertility issues – that’s scary for women at any age.’
Her announcement has also shone a light on the lack of medical attention surrounding endometriosis. According to Endometriosis UK, It takes on average eight years for women to be actually diagnosed with the condition by a GP. A 2020 government reporton endometriosis found that of those affected, 58% of people visited the GP more than 10 times before diagnosis and 53% went to A&E with symptoms before diagnosis. That's even though charity EndometriosisUK predicts that 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK have the condition.
Receiving the appropriate treatment would save women from many years of living in constant pain- while there is no cure this would help millions. The lack of urgent attention proves how women's pain is not always taken seriously. And unsurprisingly, Molly faced a similar struggle seeking help - she was only diagnosed after seeking help by a private specialist, after being dismissed by GPs 'a couple of times'. She believed she had the condition since she was 15 and was only diagnosed at 22 years old. It was her fans that encouraged Molly-Mae to keep trying to find answers after she opened up about her painful experiences.
While there is a long way to go for women with endometriosis to be truly heard and taken seriously - for those who live in fear surrounding their fertility, announcements like Molly-Mae's gives millions of women watching a boost of hope.