Endometriosis affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive-age people globally.
We do our best to raise awareness of the disease all year round.
When we do, we hear from so many members of our community who relate to or open up about their own personal experiences.
So for Endometriosis Awareness Month this year, we asked the Endo Warriors in our community if they would share their stories, and help us raise awareness.
Hear from this brave warrior, whose life changed after a visit to the hairdresser!
"I fought back tears, and was in excruciating pain, like every period I’ve had."
"I was at the hair salon, and I got my period. I sat squirming in the chair, waiting for my grey hairs to disappear, so I could immediately go home and crawl into bed with my heating pad.
I fought back tears, and was in excruciating pain, like every period I’ve had. This is when the woman next to me asked if I was ok. I embarrassingly explained to her it was just my period. She told me she was a nurse, and that I didn’t need to feel embarrassed, that period pain wasn’t normal, especially the pain I was displaying, and so obviously trying to hide. She also mentioned a word I’d never heard before, that would later change my life.
When I got home, I googled the sh*t outta that word until I was crying again, but this time with relief. I knew, deep down, I had found what I was living with. I read laparoscopic surgery was the only way to get diagnosed, and so my self-advocating journey began.
I no longer believed what I was told for so many years. That my pain was all in my head. I asked my doctor what the process was for surgery, and I quickly jumped through each hoop.
July 2022, I got the call and finally had a date. I would drive to the hospital 9 minutes down the road from home, and wake up 6 hours later to a note on the back of my prescription from the surgeon: “Endometriosis, confirmed & cauterized.” … So anyways, what a ride!
With over 10+ years of going to my doctor with the same period pain f*ckery, I had this feeling of validation for the first time. I always sensed my period pain wasn’t normal. I had been in 2 car accidents that proceeded to give me chronic pain and fibromyalgia, so pain was my constant. I went to health specialists for my entire 20’s and never once heard them mention PMDD, endometriosis, PCOS, or even wtf a pelvic floor was.
So there you have it (or rather, I have it?) disease (and any medical condition) is a lonely place I’ve found, you can get sucked right in and not know which way is up, or if there’s even a way out. But I’m learning every day, sometimes there’s no way out, just through, and you grow through what you go through."
We stand with you
We stand with every one of you suffering from Endometriosis - a disease that is affecting so many menstruators' lives. If you suspect you have it, or have any of the symptoms, please speak to a health practitioner and insist on further tests.
Don't let anyone tell you your period pain is normal.
