“Much of my career has been shaped by my experience with endometriosis.”
My name is Amy, and I’m the founder of Fiksy, a book-swapping community and platform. I didn’t start it because I had a flawless business idea or a five-year plan. I started it because I was in pain, exhausted, and trying to get through another period that felt unbearable.
In 2018, during my second year of university, I called an ambulance because of mind-numbingly excruciating period pain. I was genuinely scared for my life. When the ambulance arrived, the two male responders asked about my symptoms and then explained to me that periods can be painful and that I should take ibuprofen. They left. I was still on the floor, still in agony, and completely alone with it.
That moment was the beginning of a long, frustrating journey. Over the years, I went to GP appointment after GP appointment, each one ending with the same outcome: being encouraged to go on the pill. In one instance, I was even told that my period pain would likely reduce when I got pregnant, as if pregnancy were a treatment plan rather than a life-altering choice. There are incredible medical professionals out there, but the issue I kept running into wasn’t individual, it was systemic. Women’s reproductive health is underfunded, under-researched, and too often dismissed.
It wasn’t until this year that I was finally given a diagnosis of endometriosis, based on my symptoms. While this brought some validation, it didn’t magically make living with it easier.
On September 3rd, I had the most painful period I’d experienced all year. For three days straight, I barely slept. The pain was relentless, and like so many times before, I needed something, anything, to take my mind off it. I wanted to read, but I had no unread books left. I went onto Amazon and hovered over the “buy now” button, but it felt wasteful and expensive to buy a book I’d probably finish in a week and then never pick up again, especially when I already had shelves full of books sitting unused.
So I searched for a way to swap books online, assuming something obvious would exist. To my surprise, there was nothing like it in the UK, despite similar platforms being available across Europe and the US. The next day, still recovering and running on very little sleep, I created a simple site. That was the beginning of Fiksy.
Fiksy wasn’t born out of ambition, it was born out of necessity. It came from a moment of pain, boredom, and frustration, but also from a desire for comfort, connection, and sustainability. What started as a way to distract myself during a flare-up became a way to reimagine how we share stories, objects, and resources with each other.
Living with endometriosis has given me a deep empathy for people with disabilities, particularly non-visible ones. There have been times when I’ve sat in meetings barely holding it together. Menstruation, and the realities of chronic pain, are rarely considered in workplaces, and the burden of proof often falls on the person suffering. It also means I sometimes have to cancel events and dates at very short notice, when my period starts and I realise I can’t fight through the pain. This has led to many honest and vulnerable conversations with the people in my life.
What I’ve learned is the importance of openness, even when it feels uncomfortable. I’ve learned to be more honest about my limits, to advocate for myself, and to give myself grace on days when my body simply won’t cooperate. Endometriosis has taken a lot from me, time, energy, and certainty, but it has also shaped how I move through the world. It’s made me more compassionate, more patient, and unexpectedly, it led me to create something that now connects others.
Fiksy exists because of one of the hardest periods of my life, literally and figuratively. And while I would never wish this condition on anyone, I hope sharing my story reminds others that even in moments of pain, something meaningful can still grow.
-Amy
