Bristol Bears

Bristol Bears, Dave Attwood, Announced as Jessie May Ambassador

Specialist palliative care charity Jessie May (www.jessiemay.org.uk) is delighted to announce that Bristol Bears’ Second Row, Dave Attwood, is joining the charity as an ambassador.

Dave is an English international rugby player, currently playing with his home club Bristol Bears. He has been internationally capped 24 times for England, and captained the national team on a tour to South Africa in 2016.

He is a graduate of both Bristol University and The University of the West of England and has been a philanthropic advocate of research into degenerative brain disease for many years. Dave currently lives in Bath with his two children.

Jessie May provides specialist palliative care to children with terminal and life-shortening conditions, and their families, and has a team of dedicated nurses who provide palliative care during a child’s life, and bereavement care for families for up to 5 years after a child's death. Dave has seen some of the amazing work done through Jessie May and is keen to help raise awareness of the charity, and hopefully further the support and funding to expand on this vital service.

“No amount of support is ever enough to help the people at the heart of Jessie May. It’s paramount that we raise awareness in order to garner as much support, both local and national, for charities like Jessie May in an effort to ease their suffering and hardship.”

You can view a video message from Dave over on the Jessie May website: (www.jessiemay.org.uk/news) and follow the relationship through both Jessie May and Dave’s social channels.

A leading consultant fertility specialist who heads the St Michael's Endometriosis Centre in Bristol is calling for greater awareness of the ‘invisible illness’ endometriosis which, according to the World Health Organisation, affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive age women and girls globally. Oli O’Donovan, who works as a consultant gynaecologist, fertility specialist and endometriosis surgeon with Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) said: “Many women live with endometriosis without realising they have it, although some will be only too aware of the symptoms, especially pain and difficulty falling pregnant. “The condition occurs because tissue similar to that which normally lines the inside of the womb grows outside of it, usually on organs in the pelvis. The hormones responsible for the normal menstrual cycle make this tissue thicken and bleed every month in the same way as if it was lining the womb, which can cause pain, scarring and fertility issues. “A doctor may suspect endometriosis based on symptoms and appropriately trial treatment, but definitive diagnosis usually requires a specialist scan or key-hole surgery.” Recent research has revealed it takes an average of 6.7 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis.

Oli O’Donovan said: “If a woman is also having difficulty falling pregnant it is definitely worth requesting an assessment by a specialist because endometriosis can halve your chances of having a baby, and we know that approximately half of patients presenting with infertility have endometriosis. “The good news, however, is that treatments are available for most patients - and an early diagnosis will give the best outcome. “It is very usual to have some pain with your monthly periods, but if your period pains last longer than a day or two, do not improve after taking standard painkillers, or certainly if they cause you to miss college, work or social events or if you are struggling to get pregnant, it is worth asking your GP about endometriosis and for consideration of a specialist referral.”

March is Endometriosis Action Month. Details of this year’s campaign are here: https://bit. ly/3pKHlev and information about fertility services offered by BCRM, including investigation for endometriosis, can be found here: https://www.fertilitybristol.com/