Endometriosis. Most of you probably have never even heard this word. Some of you may have heard it, but have no idea what it means. Some may know someone who has it. And then, God bless your souls, some of you reading this article may have it. I am one of those unfortunate souls that have it.

So what does this word mean? Well, guys, you may not wanna read this part if you're weirded out by female stuff. Endometriosis is a disorder in which the tissue that usually lines the uterus, grows on the outside of the uterus. This could mean on your ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Wrong. It sucks. Endo can cause a multitude of symptoms from stomach problems such as trouble going to the bathroom and stomach pain, horrible periods, pain during intercourse, and the list goes on.

There is currently no cure. However, you can try to treat the symptoms. I was diagnosed with endo last year and had it "removed" in November. By January, it was back. Now I am about to try Lupron, a drug that basically shuts down my female system, shutting down the production of estrogen that produces the tissue. Hopefully, this will work. Otherwise, it's another surgery. Some women I know have had it removed five times or more and counting. Our only hope is to control the symptoms.

There also is no way to test for it. The only way you can find out is by having a laparoscopy surgical procedure. Then, while they are in there, they can remove it.

This affects more women than you would think. 176 million women worldwide and one out of 10 women in the US are fighting endo every day. And that doesn't even include all the women that go undiagnosed.

This disorder can also cause infertility. Many women can never have children due to the damage that endo causes to their reproductive organs. So please, if you have any of these symptoms, go see a gynecologist. It is so very important to catch this early.

So all those that are fortunate enough to not have to experience this, bear with us. When we seem like we are being overly dramatic about how bad our periods are, believe us when we say they are worse than you can imagine. When we constantly have stomach aches, don't think we are making it up. And for our significant others, please be understanding. You have no idea what it's like to have serious female issues and the always possibility of infertility. This disorder is mentally, physically and emotionally draining.

Let us all hope that with research a cure will be found for this horrible illness. Until then, I pray for strength to every woman that pushes through everyday life with a smile on their face, while hiding the debilitating pain, stress, and emotional roller coaster that is endometriosis.

To find more info, visit endofound.org.