As he told you Marnie Goodfriend
It’s March Endometriosis Awareness Month.
As a teenager, I knew my periods weren’t normal. I was in a lot of pain and bleeding with heavy tampons and super maxi pads, even though I changed them often. I asked other girls in my cheer group, “Is that time of the month really painful?” Some said they felt pain, but mine was so bad I would have to miss or leave school early. One day, someone said they saw blood on the back of my pants in front of everyone. I had no idea and was so embarrassed.
I also have pelvic floor dysfunction which, at the time, I thought was pretty common. My primary care doctor prescribed what he called “old lady medicine” to prevent my leakage. He never said, “Maybe something is wrong here,” or referred me for physical therapy. I was extremely active as a cheerleader and could not control my pelvic floor. Whenever I fall, I literally pee my pants. The medication didn’t work, so I started bringing a change of shorts with me and just dealt with these issues.
Looking back, there were so many red flags that shouldn’t have been ignored. I told my doctor about the heavy period bleeding, the nausea, the stabbing, the pains in my lower abdomen and the cramps in my cheeks. They did nothing but give me birth control. I also didn’t cycle every month. One time, I didn’t have a period for eight months and the doctor said, “Aren’t you glad you don’t have to deal with this?”
My mom suspected I had endometriosis, which runs in my family. Both my mum and grandmother have the disease and had to have removal surgery and hysterectomies after having children. My mom told my Gynecologist about her suspicions, but they dismissed her concerns. At first, I thought, “These doctors know more than I do,” but I got frustrated and started fighting for more answers.
My symptoms increased in college. The pain was unbearable. I remember trying to get into my car once, and I was so cramping I couldn’t even sit down. For years, I was on and off different types of birth control pills. Then, I started having two cycles a month. My junior year, I decided to go off the pill and my gynecologist shamed me for doing so. I was referred to a GI doctor, who ran some tests and said, “You’re in college and you have stress. IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)that will leave.”
But it didn’t go away, and I had to miss classes and cancel many plans. Other times, I told myself to toughen up and pushed through the pain the way I did as an athlete. In the days leading up to my period, I was anxious, thinking about enduring another thin period. Sometimes, I felt like I was going crazy because several medical professionals said there was nothing wrong with me.
I became a personal trainer and started taking anti-inflammatory drugs as much as I could to manage the pain. It wasn’t a long-term solution, but I had to show up to work and be active. I talked to one of my supervisors about it who was in women’s health and told her I could no longer physically work during my periods. He was very understanding and as I talked more about it I knew I had to educate myself and get the help I so desperately needed.
In November 2024, my symptoms increased after I got Covid. I think a lot of people would go to the ER, but I knew they wouldn’t do anything for me. I saw another OB-GYN who looked at my chart and said, “I see you’re off the birth control pills.” I told her I had been reading about endometriosis and thought I should have surgery. “If you’re going to ask for surgery, I can do it, but I don’t think it’ll help much and you might as well not do it.” I sat there wondering why I was the one telling health care providers (HCPs) how to take care of me. This visit traumatized me.
2024
I began seriously researching endometriosis and learned that surgical excision is the gold standard. In 2025, I started bleeding from the rectum about three days before my period, which scared me. I finally found a very good OB-GYN who specialized in the procedure from a post on a popular online endometriosis support group, Nancy’s corner. She was the first EY who really listened to me and made me feel comfortable. It was such a gift. I remember her telling me, “You really struggled with this. I think it’s time for surgery.”
I left the appointment with my mom and started crying. I felt such a weight lift off me when she said, “What you’re going through is not normal.” The same doctor did my surgery and I was diagnosed with stage 2/marginal stage 3 endometriosis, with the majority of adhesions in my rectum. I finally had my surgery about six months ago and it’s still early in my recovery, but I feel hopeful that I’m finally on the right track to healing.
I started sharing my experience on social media to help raise awareness and remind other women that they are not alone and deserve to be heard. I often receive messages from women struggling with symptoms, delays in diagnosis, or feeling frustrated, and I’m always honored to be a safe place for these conversations. Building trust and community is very important to me.
As a health coach with a degree in nutrition, I am passionate about health and wellness. I hope that my visibility will encourage people to trust their intuition and know that it’s okay to advocate for themselves if they’ve been fired. If something doesn’t look right, you may need to see a different HCP. It can be tiring, but it’s worth it. Being on the other side of things now, I’m living proof that it pays off.
Do you have your own real women, real stories to share? Let us know.
Our real women, real stories are the authentic experiences of real life women. The views, opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HealthyWomen.
From your website articles
Related articles around the web
