For six years, I knew something was wrong in my body. I suspected it was endometriosis, but I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where access to specialized care for the disease is severely limited.
My symptoms were not just occasional or tied to my cycle. Something hurt every single day. I dealt with chronic pelvic pain, back pain, stomach issues, extreme fatigue, anxiety, and inflammation that affected every part of my life. There were days I could barely get out of bed.
When I first brought up endometriosis to my gynecologist after doing my own research, I was dismissed and told I “just had a bad period.” I left the appointment, sat in my car, and cried, questioning myself and wondering if I was being dramatic. But it wasn’t me. It was the people around me who lacked awareness, a reality that has stuck with me during my journey.
I encountered several medical professionals who were unfamiliar with endometriosis, including a nurse in an OBGYN office who asked me what it was. That moment made me realize how many women across the country and around the world may never even hear about this disease, let alone be properly diagnosed.
Because I was not referred to a specialist, I had to take my care into my own hands. I spent years researching, learning from other women, and educating myself until I felt confident enough to advocate for my body. Eventually, I found a specialist two hours away and made the drive for a proper evaluation.
Even leading up to surgery, I was still doubted. Just 10 minutes before my procedure, my surgeon said his gut didn’t think he would find endometriosis. After everything I’d been through, those words were devastating. I was terrified that I had fought this hard for nothing. But when I woke up, he told me they found stage I endometriosis, and all visible disease was successfully excised. My surgical report later noted that due to the complexity of my case, it required double the time and effort of a typical procedure.
After years of dismissal, I was finally validated.
Endometriosis has impacted every part of my life—not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and professionally. For years, it controlled my schedule, my energy, and my ability to be fully present. There were days I had to cancel plans, had to push through work in pain, or isolated myself because I didn’t feel like myself. It affected my relationships, mental health, and sense of identity. I developed anxiety and panic attacks as my symptoms worsened. At times, it even made me question if life was meant to feel this way.
But endometriosis also made me stronger.
It forced me to become more in tune with my body, more resilient, and more medically aware than I ever imagined I could be. I had to learn to advocate for myself, navigate a system that wasn’t built to support me, and trust my instincts even when I was told I was wrong.
One of the most significant ways endometriosis has impacted my life is in the direction it has pushed me toward. I have spent years building my career in marketing and growing a business that I am incredibly proud of. That part of my life is not going away. If anything, it has given me the platform and voice to share my story.
But this experience has shifted something deeper in me.
After spending years being dismissed, educating myself, advocating for my own care, and navigating a system that failed to recognize what I was going through, I realized I do not want to just accept this as my story. I want to be part of changing it.
Since November 2025, I’ve been studying to become a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner. My goal is to work in women’s health, ordering specialty lab testing and helping women find answers sooner than I did. I’m also stepping into public speaking and advocacy, using my voice to raise awareness, especially for women in lower-access areas who may not have the resources, education, or support to navigate this on their own. I’ll have my first opportunity this month when I share my experience of being dismissed and misdiagnosed in front of Congress on Capitol Hill for Women’s Health Hill Day as a guest of Women’s Health Advocates, a national organization that unites advocates, patients, clinicians, and policy experts to impact funding and policies.
Endometriosis did not just challenge my life, it redirected it. I am not walking away from the career I built. I am expanding it into something that allows me to make a real impact. I want to be part of the change that actually makes a difference. Not just for myself, but for every woman who has been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left to figure this out alone.
For those with endometriosis or symptoms of it, know this: you have to trust your body, even when no one else does. I was doubted for six years. I was dismissed by doctors, questioned by medical professionals, and made to feel like what I was experiencing was normal. Even up to 10 minutes before my surgery, I was still being told they did not think they would find endometriosis.
Yet they did.
That experience taught me something I will carry for the rest of my life: no one knows your body better than you do. You must advocate for yourself. You must ask questions. You must push for answers. And, sometimes, you have to do the work to educate yourself so you can stand confidently in front of a doctor and say, “I know something is wrong.”
That should not be the reality. But for so many women, it is.
Endometriosis is complex, under-recognized, and often misunderstood, even within the medical field. Because of that, many of us are left to connect the dots ourselves before anyone else will. Becoming informed is not about replacing a doctor. It is about becoming the most informed patient you can be so that you are not easily dismissed.
Do not ignore your symptoms.
Do not accept answers that do not feel right.
Do not let anyone minimize what you are experiencing.
Your pain is real.
And most importantly, do not give up.
I know how exhausting it is. I know how defeating it can feel to keep searching for answers and not be heard. But your persistence matters. It’s what leads you to the right doctor, diagnosis, and care. I was doubted until the very last moment. And I was still right because I trusted my body.
You deserve answers. You deserve to be taken seriously. And you deserve care that reflects the reality of what you are going through.
*Patient stories submitted to EndoFound.org are the patient's views, not necessarily those of the foundation. All testimonials are from real patients, may not reflect the typical patient’s experience, and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
