An Okehampton woman is using her artistic talent this month to post daily lip art creations in order to raise greater awareness of endometriosis, a condition that affects one in ten women.

Niki Etheridge, who suffers with endometriosis herself, a condition where tissue similar to that lining the womb grows outside the uterus, is showcasing her skills through social media platforms by posting a new lip art creation every day, each of which is yellow-themed – the colour associated with endometriosis.

She said: ‘I started doing fundraisers for Endometriosis UK back in 2017. I had never heard of the condition until I was diagnosed, it didn’t even come up while they were investigating my symptoms. So I wanted to try and help anyone (through my own experience) who may be suffering with the same symptoms and may be feeling frustrated that they don’t have answers.

‘I normally hold a bodypainting fundraiser event with a raffle and entertainment but this year, as I’ve just relocated to Devon, I didn’t have the time. So my followers on social media gave me yellow lip art ideas to post each day with a fact or myth on endometriosis to help educate and spread awareness.’

Her awareness campaign takes place each March, the designated awareness month for endometriosis, a medical condition Niki believes needs more awareness as many of the symptoms are similar to other diseases which doctors often investigate first.

Niki added: ‘It’s still not a widespread topic for women who are really struggling with period pain and other symptoms that may be leading to endometriosis. One of the main issues is the symptoms caused by this disease is so similar to other conditions. So doctors will normally try to rule out other things first, which is why it takes so long for a diagnosis.’

Niki said it took at least two years for doctors to diagnose the disease and during that pain suffered infections and severe pelvic pain – it was only after surgery to remove a cyst that doctors discovered that she was suffering from endometriosis.

She said: ‘I was in immense pain, doubled up on the floor. After the surgery, the surgeon came back and told me they couldn’t find the cyst, it had actually ruptured. But while they were there, they found the black spots of endometriosis across my womb and ovaries.

‘The flare ups can happen at any given moment so I’ve had to learn how to listen to my body, watch what I eat or drink and basically learn to live with feeling constantly nauseous and uncomfortable.’

For more information about the condition, visit www.endometriosis-uk.org.