Our mission is to increase endometriosis awareness, fund landmark research, provide advocacy and support for patients, and educate the public and medical community.
Founders: Padma Lakshmi, Tamer Seckin, MD
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ENPOWR™

Early detection and diagnosis is the best prevention for endometriosis.

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The ENPOWR Project

Welcome to The ENPOWR™ Project
(ENdometriosis: Promoting Outreach and Wide Recognition)

The ENPOWR Project is EndoFound’s youth-centered initiative focused on delivering endometriosis education and menstrual health resources to adolescents in grades 9 through 12. 

The ENPOWR Project has the following objectives:

1. Deliver comprehensive and age-appropriate endometriosis education to high school students nationwide.
2. Address menstruation stigma by fostering widespread education and open discussions about the prevalence and impact of endometriosis.
3. Empower students to proactively seek appropriate care when needed, equipping them with self-advocacy skills and resources for tracking symptoms.

By equipping students with menstrual health knowledge and the skills to self-advocate, we hope to empower students to take charge of their health and ultimately decrease the average 10-year delay to diagnosis.

How We Educate

The ENPOWR Project is organized around an online course featuring a series of video modules, interactive elements, and discussion activities facilitated by our volunteer Endometriosis Educators.

Video Modules:

ENPOWR’s video modules follow our animated character Maya's transformative journey with undiagnosed endometriosis: starting with recognizing symptoms, progressing through the diagnostic process, and emphasizing the development of advocacy, awareness, and practical symptom management skills. Maya’s story is supplemented by instruction from Dr. Serin, who explains the biological mechanisms behind endometriosis and introduces us to more stories told by those with endometriosis.

Interactive Elements and Discussions:

This program is administered in school and community settings by our Endometriosis Educators (EndoEducators), who share their personal endometriosis stories along with the course content while facilitating classroom discussions.

The ENPOWR Project can be delivered wherever there's an opportunity to give an interactive presentation explaining what endometriosis is, how to recognize the symptoms early, and how to seek care in an informed way. This program encourages adolescents to create open dialogues with parents, school nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals about menstruation.

While we believe this content is most impactful with an in-person guide, one who has firsthand experience with the condition, a completely self-administered version of the e-course is available as well

How You Can Help

The best way to spread awareness is through education. Help us spread the word by asking your school to host a presentation, volunteering as an EndoEducator, or sharing information about ENPOWR on your social media by following us on Instagram (@enpowr_endofound). Volunteer Opportunities 

Additionally, donating to the ENPOWR project will help us ensure we have the necessary resources to continue uplifting adolescents through health education.

Support for the ENPOWR Project allows us to:

  • Sustain our free endometriosis e-course.

  • Provide ongoing resources to our dedicated EndoEducators.

  • Conduct continuous research reviews to ensure our education tools feature the latest information.

DONATE TO ENPOWR

“At Tampax, our goal is to help reduce the stigma around periods by driving education and creating open dialogue,”said Cheri McMaster, Global Tampax Communications.

“We’re so moved by all the great work EndoFound is doing, and we’re thrilled to be able to provide this monetary support to help continue its mission. We share a passion for not only providing people who have periods with support but also educating them so they know more about their bodies and can advocate for themselves.”“I suffered from endometriosis for too long, not knowing until I was much older that periods were not supposed to cause excruciating pain. It took a long time to diagnose, and I was always ignored about my symptoms and told, 'it's just how it is for girls’." The key to early diagnosis is educating doctors and the public, especially young girls, about endometriosis. It's not normal to miss school, soccer games, or work because you're in pain from your period! Thank you, Tampax and EndoFound, for normalizing the conversation around periods and being the champion!" said actress Amy Schumer, a long-time endometriosis patient. She has an ongoing partnership with Tampax — P&G’s leading tampon brand — aiming to normalize conversations about menstruation.

Watch this video to hear Endo Educators talk about their experience:

 

Here's what students and teachers have said about The ENPOWR Project:

  • "I learned that I may have the disease and that my long periods and heavy cramps may not be normal. I shouldn't have to miss school for this.” (Female student, age 16)
  • "The information that I learned today is important because countless women around the world suffer from endometriosis, and most don't even realize that they have the disease. Since I learned about the disease, I can help raise awareness of this disease." (Male student, 13)

  • “I learned that if I feel something is seriously wrong with my body that I should follow my instincts and seek help and not listen to people telling me I'm being dramatic.” (Female student, age 17)

  • “Endometriosis is much more serious and affects many more people than we realize.It is a disease that truly changes a person's life.” (Male student, age 16)

  • “One of our students was not going to be able to graduate because she had too many absences. After she heard your presentation, she was diagnosed with endometriosis. Her absences were excused as a result, and she will be graduating on time in June!” (Health teacher, Albany High School)

  • “As I was leaving the school this evening, one of the students approached me and told me she felt her doctor thought her painful discomfort was normal and she would grow out of it. But now she feels she should see a specialist. She was going to listen to her body and take control!” (Living Environment teacher, The Beacon School)

  • "The ENPOWR Project is bringing light to an important concern for teens. Many of these teenagers can now spread the word about endometriosis to their family members and friends.” (SPARK Counselor, Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences) 

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