The first time I heard the word endometriosis, it didn’t really register. After years of seeing countless gynecologists, I had grown accustomed to the routine of the doctor listening to 60 seconds of me trying to explain my symptoms, pick a diagnosis from their random wheel of explanations, and assure me that everything I was experiencing was “normal.” For many who may not know, endometriosis is a chronic illness in which the endometrial lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. There is no cure.

Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT

Dear Friend,

I was 26 years old the first time I experienced endometriosis symptoms. I was driving to work (I’m a nurse) and I felt a really bad pain on the upper right side of my stomach, right under my rib. It was a sharp, stabbing pain. It was the most intense pain I had ever felt; it took my breath away.