Put a Name On It

Beth McCowen meets the former Wales youth international on years of unbearable pain, beginning with a collapse on the pitch that was initially treated as a possible ovarian torsion. Smith, 21, describes three or four NHS transvaginal ultrasounds that found nothing, an abdominal scan showing her left ovary stuck to her uterus, and finally a private laparoscopy that confirmed endometriosis: she burst into tears at being able to put a name to it. She recalls feeling as though she wore a weighted blanket every day, hiding her symptoms from teammates, and a broken arm on Wales Under-19 duty. Lewes’ openness about periods, she says, is what other clubs still lack.