Recently, there have been calls for greater education in schools for issues such as road safety and health and wellbeing, to run alongside the standard curriculum that is in place.

One of those calls has come from a local Senator, who believes it is important for greater education and understanding of women's menstrual health in schools.

Lisa Chambers, alongside London based artist RuthAnne have launch ''Endo and ME'' which is a talk on Menstrual education and endometriosis that will be piloted in a number of secondary schools across the country over the next two months.

Endometriosis is a disease in which the tissue, which is similar to the lining of the uterus, grows outside of the uterus.

There is no prevention or cure for it, rather treatment for the symptoms that are experienced.

RuthAnne was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis in 2019.

After years of attending GPs and consultants in Ireland, she travelled to the UK to see a specialist in endometriosis who gave her the diagnosis following a wide excision surgery.

She has suffered for years with daily chronic pains and fatigue. Both of her sisters had been diagnosed with the disease in years previous and knew her symptoms were similar to what she was going through.

Currently in Ireland, it takes an average of 9 years for someone to be told they have endo, and this is something both Senator Chambers and RuthAnne believe needs to change.

These workshops will be piloted in a number of schools over the next two months, including St Joseph's secondary school in Castlebar with a  goal to eventually have the talk become a module or programme on the national curriculum and for it to be taught to every student in Ireland.

I began by speaking to RuthAnne about her own experience and how difficult it was to get a diagnosis....

 

I then spoke to Senator Lisa Chambers who stressed how important it is that young people receive proper education about their menstrual health...