SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE 

The Reality of Endometriosis

Written by Sarah Osborn, AMSA Gender & Sexuality Action Committee, Reproductive Justice Coordinator

March is endometriosis awareness month. In the US, 6 million females are living with endometriosis, yet 2 million are undiagnosed. There is still a stigma surrounding endometriosis and period pain leading to many females suffering for years before receiving a diagnosis. As a woman in medicine, advocating for my future patients is deeply important to me, but this month I am also advocating for me. 

1 in 10 females in the US have endometriosis, and I am part of that statistic. 

The first time I noticed something was wrong was in 11th grade. My periods had always been manageable, but suddenly, they were heavier and causing severe pain. I didn’t know what was happening to me. Growing up in a state with a lack of sex education meant I had never been

taught what a “normal” period was or the importance of seeing an OBGYN, and any conversation about female reproductive health was taboo. My mom tried to teach me what she could about female health, but she didn’t have any medical training, and could only share her own experiences and things she had learned. 

For months the period pain would occur, I suffered through thinking it was normal, but the physical demands of my extracurricular activities were putting a severe strain on my body. Then, one day, I started vomiting due to the pain, and realized I needed help. My family doctor, who I absolutely loved and who cared for me since I was born, followed the standard medical playbook. She started me on combined oral contraceptive pills, assuming my irregular cycles were due to my age. Thankfully, the pills helped for a few years by making my periods lighter, but the pain never fully subsided and I still relied on over the counter pain medications every month. 

For the next four years, I continued to rely on the contraceptive pills and pain medications as I kept pushing through the pain I convinced myself was normal. The summer before my senior year of college, the pain got significantly worse and started to affect my daily life. One night my pain escalated to a point I was crying on the floor and couldn’t walk. With no other option, my friends took me to urgent care. They dismissed my pain as an UTI and sent me home with antibiotics. When I still had constant pain weeks later I knew something was wrong, and decided it was time to see an OBGYN. 

I was nervous to see an OBGYN, but my first visit left me devastated. 

The physician walked into the room and dismissed my concerns. He didn’t ask a single question, perform an exam, or order any tests. Instead, he told me my pain was “normal period pain” and that losing weight would solve the problem. He was in and out of the room in under a minute. I was shocked, frustrated, and started to wonder if I would be living with pain for the rest of my life. 

During the next month I was experiencing severe pain every day, and it was causing me mobility and gastrointestinal issues. Desperate for answers, I sought a second opinion with another OBGYN. This time, the physician at least had a conversation with me, but that was it. He, just like the previous physician, said it was due to my period and gave me generic advice about managing period pain with heat packs and pain medication. I was flabbergasted. 

My pain was consuming my life, yet no one was listening.

Another month passed, and now I barely left my room due to the constant pain and exhaustion. My pain was compromising my ability to walk and I vomited almost daily. Finally, I was able to see a female OBGYN, and was hoping for a different outcome, but I was anxious about getting dismissed again. This time, the moment she walked in, I knew things would be different. She listened, talked with me, did a physical exam, and validated my pain. 

Then, for the first time, I heard the word endometriosis. 

She explained that while she couldn’t make a definitive diagnosis without surgery, my symptoms strongly aligned with endometriosis. And because my condition was not being controlled with hormonal treatment, she recommended surgery to relieve my symptoms. At 21 years old, I was terrified of having an operation, but knew I couldn’t continue with the pain. 

Two weeks later, in the middle of a snowstorm, my mom drove me to another city for my surgery. Afterwhich, my physician confirmed the diagnosis of endometriosis and she had removed multiple ectopic lesions found throughout my abdominal cavity. Once I recovered from surgery, I felt better than I had in years. I was no longer in constant pain and could walk without collapsing. However, one problem remained, I was still vomiting almost every day. 

At my post-surgery follow up appointment, my OBGYN recommended a progesterone IUD to help prevent recurrence, which I agreed to without hesitation. She was concerned about my persistent vomiting and referred me to a GI specialist . After another month of tests, I was diagnosed with gastroparesis, which was a rare diagnosis in someone my age with no significant health issues. My physician theorized that some ectopic endometrial lesions attached to my stomach and affected my stomach nerves. That diagnosis meant lifelong medication with serious potential adverse effects, which means lifelong monitoring. 

I often wonder about my journey. If the first physicians had listened instead of dismissing me, would my quality of life be different? If I was treated surgically earlier,
would I have avoided gastroparesis? 

Sadly, those questions are not unique to my story. Females with endometriosis on average have to see three physicians before getting diagnosed, and it takes years to get treated. It is not just “normal period pain”. Our pain is real and endometriosis can lead to severe complications. My experience has fueled my passion for reproductive health, and I hope my story encourages you. Keep pushing and seeking extra education to become better future physicians. To support Endometriosis Awareness Month, follow @AMSAnational Instagram posts and watch for a future Spotlight post in AMSA On Call  to learn more about endometriosis. 

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*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in AMSA Reproductive Health Project eNews #39: Show Some Love with AMSA Repro! March 1, 2025
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