AIBU to worry about losing my job over Endometriosis?

[Candycrush426]

Hi everyone.

A bit of a backstory. So up until March 2020 I wasn’t having regular periods they came every 6 months. After that they came monthly but I was blessed with working from home due to the pandemic so powered through the painful days working from my bed.

Every month my period pains have got worse. I have been off sick from work and been to appointments for pcos so work are aware prior to the pandemic.

Haven’t been off sick since July 2020. My partner and I are struggling with infertility and due to my symptoms I am now on the waiting list for a laparoscopy to hopefully diagnose me with endometriosis because I know this must be what I have.

I’m genuinely worried about going back to the office eventually and having to end up taking sick days every month because my symptoms are absolutely awful. I can’t function, sleep or eat. I vomit from the pain and can’t leave my room. But thankfully I can still manage to plough through with my laptop in bed.

Now am I crazy to think work should be able to make some reasonable adjustments for me say when we do go back to the office that during that week I can work from home? I’d much rather this than take sick leave and then end up being sacked. Can they sack me if I’m off due to endometriosis?

Has anyone got any experiences or advice please? I’m genuinely worried.

Pandemic , infertility and endometriosis is literally affecting my mental health so much.

Definitely ask for wfh that week if it will help you. It depends on your employer but some of them are getting quite hot on women's issues.

If the periods are regular enough to be able to predict the dates, I’d ask to wfh on a couple of the worst days. Or ask more formally for a reasonable adjustment as it’s a medical reason?

Ask for an occ health assessment. They will be able to advise on if your condition meets the criteria for a disability and therefore should receive reasonable adjustments.

You can ask for flexi working under any grounds you like but you may find it easier with Ovc health inside

If your employer has occupational health then you need to request to go down that route (although once you make your manager aware, they should suggest it themselves). Occ Health have been a godsend for some of my team, I’ve been able to put adjustments in place to help them stay in work. Not sure Occ Health will recommend working at home but they definitely won’t if it’s not looked into.

Good luck!

Thank you everyone. I work for the council so I will contact the occupational health team. We haven’t been given a date yet to go back but I was thinking for the future.

I have stage 4 endometriosis. I was also throwing up in pain and in an awful state when ttc. We ended up with ivf as couldn't stay off pill long term as its the only thing controlling my symptoms. I have no advice just empathy.

Empathy from me too. I'm post-menopause now, so not such an issue any more, but I was only thinking yesterday what I'd do in your kind of situation. I managed to get by with high doses of painkillers and didn't have to take too many days off. I was pondering whether any companies would accept a kind of part time contract with two days a month unpaid, but obviously without the ability to predict which days they were. If you can cope with working from home I hope your organisation are sympathetic, and it all works out for you. So few people seem to really understand just how bad it can be. There are some good newspaper articles which have given women's stories and I was tempted to send links to my boss when I heard him muttering about a woman in another department who "took a couple of days off sick every month".

Huge sympathy. I've just had a week off unable to get out of bed and managed half a day today drugged up on painkillers, so I know how hard it is.

Firstly, don't overthink and take it slowly.

There is no fixed return to the office date so actually might be months.

Ask for an occupational health referral and also talk to someone nice in your management chain. People are generally nicer than we give credit for

and to give encouragement. Pregnancy and breastfeeding were pain free times for me

how are you doing?

I lost my job partly due to endometriosis, I was first signed off sick due to the pain & waiting to be referred to a gynacologist, then due to having a diagnostic laparoscopy & waiting for a second laparoscopy to remove a cyst & my tubes, I was then messed about for 6 months when my hysterectomy was cancelled due to a refusal for funding, I had to go through 3 appeals before I got funding as well as suffering the side effects of the hormonal treatment after my GP refused to continue giving me the combined pill, the mini pill didn't agree with me causing severe depression & bleeding. Just after my hysterectomy I started with gallstones & by the time I had the op I had been off a year & work finished me.