Haguenau. Sara Nokic, battling endometriosis, will attempt to win the title of Miss Belleza.

Endometriosis is a family affair that Sara Nokic could have done without. This long-ignored disease, which affects nearly one in ten women, causes very painful periods, and is the leading cause of infertility in France, also has a genetic predisposition. Following in the footsteps of her mother and two of her aunts, the 18-year-old from Haguenau inherited the burden.

Rather than suffer, Sara decided to take action on her own level, that is, by raising public awareness of this disease which, she insists, "is complicated to live with and is underdiagnosed. It is not taken seriously enough, perhaps with more voices we could focus more on research and diagnosis." The young woman, also a hotel and restaurant management student in Illkirch, found a platform for herself through Miss Belleza Alsace, one of the many beauty contests.

Just like the usual parades in outfits and swimsuits on stage, the "catwalk" (fashion show) and elegance, personal commitment to a cause is evaluated. During the regional competition on February ^1st in Muntzenheim, near Colmar , where the young girl came second runner-up, the judges particularly appreciated her mobilization on the issue of raising awareness of endometriosis. She came away with the title of Miss Coup de cœur, which allows her to compete in the national final on June ^1st in Perpignan.

Sara is already thinking about the speech she will have to give. Because she has things to say about endometriosis , starting with her own experience. When, after the onset of symptoms, Sara was diagnosed with the disease, it had a liberating effect: "It allowed me to react better and to have something concrete to rely on to understand what I was going through every month." Since it is not always easy to detect, this disease is subject to a diagnosis delay of seven years on average in France.

Her periods are systematically accompanied by acute pain, "fatigue, difficulty getting up." "There's no treatment, so we can't cure it. Things are being tested, but nothing is conclusive yet," Sara laments. At most, it's possible to alleviate the symptoms, through the eternal hot-water bottle and medication. The only real solution: have her uterus removed, as her mother did, but "that means going into menopause straight away and no longer being able to have children."