Katja Snoeijs realised something was wrong when she felt "stabbing" pains and was forced off at half-time against West Ham last season. Even the back pain, it's just hard standing up straight, let alone sprinting or running," she said. It's really hard as a football player to come off a pitch unless like you have a broken leg or something." Having to be substituted because of the pain was a turning point for the Everton forward, and the start of her journey towards an endometriosis diagnosis. Endometriosis is a chronic, often painful, condition that occurs when cells similar to the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body.

Source: BBC March 26, 2026 21:04 UTC