1. Fatigue!

I am tired, all. of. the. time. As I'm writing this I just woke up from getting 7 hours of sleep and I'll need a nap to function the rest of the day. I couldn't figure out why I was getting so tired to the point of it getting in the way of everyday activities, well now I know.

2. Weight loss (or struggle thereof)

I would always give up on diets and exercise because nothing ever seems to work. Well, turns out good ol' endometriosis is the culprit of making it harder to lose weight with all these fluctuating hormones.

3. Depression & anxiety

Last year I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I started therapy and my question always was: Why do I feel the way I do?

Every time I had a depressive episode, they came about for no real reason and left as strangely as they appeared. My anxiety also worsened over the years with no real explanation. Well, questions answered, endometriosis has been linked to depression and anxiety.

4. Brain fog

I always get teased for not remembering things (both past and extremely recent), and I noticed it the more I got older. I couldn't remember conversations from just days ago, and I have to study extra hard so things will stick in my brain. Shocker: Endometriosis also causes brain fog.

5. Extra painful pap smears

I had my first pap smear at 19 years old, and it was one of the most painful experiences. When the exam started I cried out right away and tried to refrain from yelling as best I could. Afterward, I was sore for the day.

My mom asked the doctor why it hurt so much, and the doctor just shrugged her shoulders and sent me on my way. Turns out, just another symptom.

6. Food intolerances

I'm lactose intolerant and noticed my stomach has grown more sensitive over the years... Well what do ya know, endometriosis is the culprit yet again.

7. Lower back pain

I remember when I was younger I had excruciating back pain (and still do) which I could best describe as the lower half of my body feeling like it's separating from my upper half. If I walk too much it flares it up (so there's been lots of couch time until my surgery).

Surprise surprise, some patients have described their endometriosis pain in this exact same way.

8. Painkillers doing absolutely nothing

As my pain got worse I started leaving behind the simple OTC pain medication and went on to prescription painkillers. Over time, those stopped working too, and I ended up on some really strong prescriptions. Even now those aren't working anymore, and that's normal for endo.

9. Lower immune system

I actually just found this out as I was writing, but as it turns out endometriosis is an immune disease and lowers your immune system... Which explains why I was in the doctor's office so much.

10. Chest pain

During the pandemic, I noticed I started having really bad chest pains, which obviously concerned me. So I figured it might be anxiety and started seeing a therapist... It turned out to not be anxiety, but it would come and go.

I never sought treatment as it wasn't consistent. Turns out endo can cause chest pain too, awesome.

11. Allergies

Did you know endometriosis can cause an allergy flare? Me either, turns out they can, and they can get worse around your period.

12. Pain with using tampons

I had never used tampons until my 20s, and when I did, it was painful.

13. Asthma

In the fall I usually get a cold and prescribed an asthma inhaler, turns out this could be linked to endo as well.