Share your story

This is the story I shared when I started the endo diaries.  I am almost 28 years old and my story with women’s health issues started when I was thirteen and began menstruating. Not long after that journey into womanhood began that I had troublesome problems. I suffered severe stomach pain, cramping and nausea.It wasn’t until I was older that my symptoms became crippling. When I had my period, I became immobile. I experience excruciating pain in my abdomen, heavy bleeding, and massive blood clots. I remember having to crouch down under my desk at work, hide in the dark...

“My first flare-up was in high school. I fell to the floor with extreme abdominal pain, upper thigh leg pain, and nausea. My initial thought was that my appendix had exploded - but when the same pain reoccurred every month during my period, I knew that something wasn't right with my body. I decided to take my health into my own hands to fight for answers, effective pain management, and resources. I was told many times that "some womxn just have bad periods" and that I happened to be one of the unlucky ones on that long list.I advocated for...

“I’ve been on birth control pills ever since I can remember in my teenage years. At the age of 28, my fiancé and I decided to get off the pill in hopes of starting a family. I started experiencing debilitating periods. My periods brought gastrointestinal, pelvic, bowel and urinary pain. I also experienced pain with intercourse, lightning crotch and rectum, as well as nausea and fainting spells. Unbeknownst to me, these symptoms were the same symptoms I experienced as a teenager, but I had unconsciously hid these menstrual traumas from my brain, until finally my mother reminded me of my...

“Hi, my name is Brooke and I was officially diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis in April 2021 after suffering 17 years of daily pain.My symptoms started at the age of 10 when I was rushed to the ER due to crazy abdominal cramps. After years of seeing specialists and getting no answers, I gave up hope.I got my period at the age of 13 and it wasn’t until about 4 years ago that my periods started to get painful. Before that they didn’t really give me any trouble but I was also on the pill so that could have been...