This one photo shows the effect of endometriosis on the body

"This is me. This is endometriosis."

A model has taken to Instagram to share the harsh reality of living with endometriosis. It's a condition whereby womb lining grows outside the womb in other places in a woman's abdomen, such as on the ovaries, bowels and fallopian tubes, but has no way of shedding each month and so builds up, leading to swelling and pain. Blogger Thessy Kouzoukas suffers from the condition and posted this image to highlight how severe it can be.

A post shared by Thessy Kouzoukas (@thessy.k) on Jul 11, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT

The photo on the left shows Thessy's stomach after a cyst ruptured inside her, while the other shows her stomach after she started a new drug to control her hormones. The drug, Synarel, has caused her body to go into early menopause at the age of 27. She said she had been inundated with messages from other sufferers. "This is quite shocking to people. This is me. This is endometriosis," she wrote in the photo caption. "I never intended to share these photos hence why I'm naked, but my god I can't believe the amount of DM's I've received from girls who have endo too and feel alone." Thessy told her followers she was preparing herself mentally and physically for an operation next month. "Endo is no joke. I'll be operated on for 7+ hours and hospitalised for a week."

A post shared by Thessy Kouzoukas (@thessy.k) on Jun 26, 2017 at 7:56pm PDT

There is no known cure for the condition, according to the HSE. It can lead to pain in the abdomen and during sex, as well as bleeding between periods and even fertility problems. In her post, Thessy urged her followers to be vigilant. "Please, spread the word about endo. And If you know anyone with bad period pain PLEASE tell them to get checked for this." Thessy is a blogger and co-owns fashion company Sabo Skirt. The brand's designs have been worn by the likes of Gigi Hadid and Ariana Grande.