Everyday Health spoke with Dr. Karli Goldstein, EndoFound Board Member and Associate Surgeon at the Seckin Endometriosis Center, on the most common and urgent questions concerning COVID-19 and endo. Dr. Goldstein, an endo patient herself, says endometriosis is a challenging chronic condition even in the best of times. Read her expert recommendations for managing endometriosis during this difficult time.

If you have more questions, please join our Twitter Chat this Thursday (4/9) at 1 p.m. (EDT), with the hashtag #EveryDayEndoChat to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic will impact ongoing endometriosis treatment. Dr. Karli Goldstein, Endometriosis surgeon and EndoFound Board member, and Dr. Michael Nimaroff, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Ob/Gyn at Northwell Health, will answer all your coronavirus questions. The Twitter Chat is sponsored in partnership with Everyday Health, and the Society for Women’s Health Research will also participate. We appreciate their support. 

Few people outside of family and friends knew that Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) had been living with endometriosis until she courageously shared her story for the first time in early March on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since then, she has formed the first congressional endometriosis caucus in U.S. history and has requested $26 million from the National Institute for Child and Human Development (NIH) to fund research. 

Additionally, the request would direct the Department of Defense to make sure that endometriosis remains eligible for federal funding under the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program.

With the caucus, Congresswoman Finkenauer aims to “end the stigma around endometriosis and bring more attention to this condition affecting millions of women and their families and their friends.” Visit this page to read more about her story here and to watch her floor speech. Want to join the movement? Please visit this page!

Everyday Health spoke with EndoFound Junior Board member Alaia Baldwin on endometriosis, advocacy, and how she aims to foster an online community with other endo warriors. From opening up about “endo belly” and giving personal tips from her endo journey on Instagram, Alaia is resolute in her mission to help other endo patients feel less alone and to keep fighting for the right treatment and diagnosis.

“If you know something’s wrong, then it’s wrong. Keep looking for doctors or people you can talk to and people who will listen to you,” Alaia says. “That is the number one most important step to living a better life through chronic pain — getting the right treatment and diagnosis.”

Alaia also wrote the courageous and inspiring foreword to Dr. Tamer Seckin’s new book, Endometriosis: A Guide for Girls, which is dedicated to young women who are experiencing pain. The proceeds from Dr. Seckin’s book, which was released on March 17th, will be donated to EndoFound to further our mission.

In Endo Stories, Kaitlin McFarland details her journey with infertility. Countless doctor visits and difficulty getting pregnant led Kaitlin to finally receive an endometriosis diagnosis. Now, she is ready to share her story in order to inspire hope for everyone who suffers in silence. “We shouldn't do this alone,” Kaitlin writes. “Although we sometimes end up feeling more alone when we share our stories, our words give voice to those suffering in silence.”

Read Kaitlin’s full story here. And remember, you too can share your story. We need your voices now more than ever. Either visit this page for further details, or email writers@endofound.org.

The Endometriosis Foundation of America (EndoFound) is looking to partner with online streamers to raise awareness and funding for medical research for endometriosis! Funds raised by Team EndoFound streamers go towards supporting our programs aimed at building awareness, funding innovative research, and advocating for the 10 million women in the US with endometriosis. Please complete this interest form and we will contact you as soon as registration is open. 

EndoFound's Her Fight is My Fight t-shirt is for sale for those of you supporting a loved one with endo. We've extended our t-shirt fundraiser until April 20th. To learn more or to purchase a shirt please visit this page.