Endometriosis, Women’s Pain, and the Power of Storytelling: A Review of Sophie Richards on Her Discussions with Dr. Faye Bate
- Neave Smith
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
When Sophie Richards - health advocate, content creator, and voice to over 700,000 followers - joined Dr. Faye Bate on the podcast Her Discussions, the conversation became far more than a typical podcast episode. Sophie has emerged as a leading advocate for an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and a stronger focus on women’s health, using her platform to shine a light on struggles too often overlooked by the healthcare system. She originally started her instagram page as an awareness project, candidly sharing her own experiences so others wouldn’t feel alone. Today, her content empowers followers to speak up, learn, and openly engage in conversations that have long been considered taboo.
This conversation with Dr. Faye, a doctor and podcast host known for making healthcare discussions both accessible and compassionate, is not just about endometriosis - it’s about the broader issue of women’s pain, and how storytelling can drive change.
In this particular episode, Sophie shared her long, often lonely, journey towards an endometriosis diagnosis, shining a light on an issue that is too often dismissed, downplayed, or silenced: women’s pain. She recalled, “I’m 24, I’m on my own, I’m hysterical, I’m super drugged up. So, it was like, die or sign my ovaries away.” But her story goes beyond a personal struggle - it exposes a systemic blind spot in healthcare. Sophie emphasised, “This is the picture of every woman with a chronic health issue that can’t get help.” The normalisation of women’s suffering, coupled with systemic delays in diagnosis, leaves too many women battling not only debilitating symptoms, but also dismissal from the very systems meant to help them.
The Scientific Backdrop: Endometriosis in Numbers
Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, often causing severe pain, heavy periods, and, in some cases, fertility issues. It affects around 1 in 10 women of reproductive age worldwide (WHO, 2023). Yet, despite its prevalence, diagnosis remains slow - taking on average, seven to eight years from the first onset of symptoms. During that long wait, many women are told their pain is “just period pain,” blamed on stress, or misdiagnosed entirely - sometimes as gastrointestinal conditions, sometimes as purely psychological. The consequences are serious: untreated endometriosis can lead to reduced fertility, a significantly lower quality of life, and a heightened risk of anxiety and depression.
Sophie’s experience isn’t an outlier. That’s why conversations like this are essential: they validate the lived experiences of millions of women and push for a healthcare culture that listens, believes, and acts when women speak up about their pain.
What the Episode Gets Right
Honest Storytelling
Sophie doesn’t hold back. She talks openly about being dismissed by professionals, doubting her own sanity, and the frustration of enduring years of debilitating pain without answers. One particularly shocking moment was about the treatment that she received after starting at university. Instead of her pain being taken seriously, the first question she was asked was, “how many sexual partners have you had?”. She was repeatedly subjected to STI testing (seventeen times in total), despite having had just one sexual partner and finding sex unbearably painful. Her honesty makes the episode deeply relatable for anyone who’s ever felt ignored in a clinical setting.
Shining a Light on Systemic Issues
While Sophie’s story is deeply personal, Dr. Faye and Sophie intentionally broaden the discussion. Dr. Faye points out that, strikingly, some of the most sexist encounters often involve female doctors. She explained that much of this seems to be rooted in a mindset of, “I suffered, so you’re going to suffer as well.” Together, they situated her experience within a wider conversation about how women’s pain is often normalised, trivialised, or misdiagnosed. This episode became not just one woman’s narrative, but a call to interrogate the systemic blind spots that allow stories like Sophie’s to be so common.
Emotional Resonance
The podcast doesn’t shy away from emotion - in fact, it leans into it. Sophie’s story will hit home for many listeners, not only because of the suffering described, but also because of the resilience and advocacy it highlights.
Credibility and Compassion
With Dr. Faye Bate as host, the episode balances emotional storytelling with medical insight. Faye’s empathetic, measured style gives Sophie space to tell her story in full while helping listeners connect it to the broader healthcare context.
Breaking Taboos Around Women’s Health
Another strength of this episode lies in its direct challenge of the cultural silence around women’s bodies. Sophie names menstruation as a “taboo”- something we’re educated from a young age to feel embarrassed or even humiliated about, despite having no control over it. Women get periods every month, yet the conversation is still shrouded in stigma.
This episode underscores how crucial platforms like Her Discussions are for public health awareness. While research is critical, publicising stories like Sophie’s make the issue relatable - reaching people who might not have access to medical journals or formal research. Podcasts and media outlets have the power to make healthcare information more accessible, amplify marginalised voices, and help dismantle the stigma around topics like menstrual and reproductive health.
Where the Episode Could Go One Step Further
One area where the episode could expand is in offering practical next steps for listeners. Awareness is a vital first step, but many women will leave the episode wondering, “what can I do?”. Simple additions - like suggested questions to ask a doctor, details of patient advocacy groups, or links to reputable resources - would help translate validation into action. Even something as straightforward as a QR code at the end of the episode could provide listeners with tools to navigate their own healthcare journeys more confidently.
For UK audiences, trusted resources include:
Final Thoughts
The conversation between Sophie Richards and Dr. Faye Bate is a moving and necessary exploration of endometriosis and the broader problem of women’s pain being overlooked. It’s as much a call to action as it is a story: a reminder that listening to women, believing their pain, and demanding better from our medical systems are essential steps toward change. Trusting that women know their own bodies, and validating their experiences is a crucial first step toward meaningful care. For anyone who has felt unseen in a doctor’s office - or who wants to better understand what so many women endure with endometriosis - this episode is a must-listen.
If you enjoyed this, Her Discussions has many other episodes covering topics like fertility, mental health, and navigating the healthcare system. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!
References
World Health Organisation. (2023, March 28). Endometriosis. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis
This article was written by Neave Smith and edited by Rebecca Pope, with graphics produced by Neave Smith and Ameesha Gehlot. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.