Writer and endometriosis campaigner Lisa Tierney-Keogh spoke to RTÉ's Behind the Story podcast about her struggle to get treatment for the condition and how she ultimately ended up having to travel to the US for surgery.

Ms Tierney-Keogh was one of several endometriosis sufferers who met Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill at the Department of Health on Monday.

Also in attendance at the meeting was HSE CEO Bernard Gloster and other senior officials. Ms Tierney-Keogh and others discussed the lack of medical care in this country for women suffering from the condition and how women are force to go abroad for surgery.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places. For example, the ovaries, the lining of the tummy and fallopian tubes.

Ms Tierney-Keogh told Katie and Fran she has suffered with the condition since she was a teenager.

"At the time I didn't know any different - people didn't talk about periods," she explained.

"I had really heavy periods; I used to bleed through clothes. When I played basketball, I'd wear multiple pads and underwear and bicycle shorts.

"I had random pains everywhere but just thought that was how life was."

Read more: Over 740 women on waiting list for endometriosis surgery

Ms Tierney-Keogh was officially diagnosed five years ago after living with the condition for almost three decades.

"I think about all the money I've spent on doctors, scans and physio - you name it - just trying to manage pain in my body," she said.

"I was diagnosed at age 42; it was great to get a diagnosis but it's heartbreaking to think about those 28 years of my life where I was basically was made to feel like I was crazy."

Ms Tierney-Keogh went to the US for surgery after her uterus and bowel became fused together.

"The pain of that - I remember being in my kitchen in Monkstown and doubling over," she said.

"It was like early-stage labour pains and also being stabbed with a hot poker."

Figures obtained by RTÉ News show that more 500 women have travelled to three specialist endometriosis clinics in Romania, Spain and the UK over the last three years for treatment.

'Silent, quiet crisis'

Ms Tierney-Keogh has described the current situation as a "silent crisis".

She said: "Most people don't have any kind of access to private health insurance and it's just not good enough that women are trapped in this country.

"They can't afford to go abroad and there's no surgery available here, or the surgery that is available isn't appropriate.

"We're just shipping women off... it's this silent, quiet crisis that's happening."

Ms Tierney-Keogh said she would also like to see an 'immediate' awareness campaign around the condition.

"I really feel for the young women, particularly the young girls, who are missing school and being suspended from school because they are missing so many days."

In a statement, the HSE said it "acknowledges that endometriosis care in Ireland has historically been challenging."

"For this reason, the management of endometriosis has been established as a key priority for the HSE, with important progress achieved in recent years.

"Central to this advancement is the development of Ireland's first National Framework for the Management of Endometriosis, alongside the implementation of structured care pathways," it added.

Katie and Fran also discuss pod pal David's upcoming documentary on Éamon de Valera, which airs tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One.

You can listen to Behind the Story which is available on the RTÉ Radio Player.

You can also find episodes on Apple here, or on Spotify here.