A BODY painter who suffers from a disorder that leads to excruciating pain has urged women not to feel embarrassed about getting help.

Many women endure the dull cramp of period pain every month.

But Niki Etheridge, 31, who suffers from endometriosis, describes her pain as “one hundred times worse”.

This invisible condition is when tissue, similar to the lining of the womb, starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. In more severe cases, the tissue can grow on the lungs.

Niki, from Brighton, said: “I was diagnosed nearly five years ago and I was in and out of hospital. I remember one day I was rolling around on the floor in pain, I was throwing up.

“I went to A&E, they did tests and they found a cyst on my ovary. I was discharged and I returned weeks later for surgery. But the doctors couldn’t find the cyst because it ruptured.”

Niki, who runs the company Once Upon A Body, was referred to a gynaecologist who could not find anything wrong with her.

She added: “I insisted he did more checks because there was something not right. I finally had my laparoscopic surgery which tries to remove tissue from the lining of the womb that has grown elsewhere.

“Endometriosis is very disruptive because the pain can happen anytime. I could be sitting on my desk and experience bouts of pain.

“I also experience bloating and headaches.

“I take prescription medication to ease the pain.

“The condition doesn’t go away.”

More than 1.5 million women in the UK live with this invisible condition but Niki said many are unwilling to be diagnosed for fear of embarrassment.

She ran a charity night in Rottingdean to help women understand more about it.

Niki said: “Before being diagnosed I had never heard of the disorder.

“There are charities out there like Endometriosis UK which support women who are living with this condition.

“They also provide emotional support because some patients, who really want to be mothers, can become infertile due to the disorder.

“I urge women to open up and talk about it because it’s not something you should be ashamed of.

“I did a live body painting charity event on Saturday at the Queen Victoria pub in Rottingdean.

“More than 70 people attended and I raised more than £150 for Endometriosis UK.

“I painted a model live and she was topless.

“The point of doing this is to show people we shouldn’t be embarrassed about our bodies.

“Women put off seeing a doctor because they don’t feel comfortable taking pelvic examinations.

“It’s better to get it checked out early rather than put up with the pain.”