What IS endometriosis?
In simple terms, endometriosis is when tissue similar to your uterine lining decides to go rogue and grow places it absolutely shouldn’t—ovaries, fallopian tubes, intestines, and sometimes even lungs or other far-flung locations. Unlike your regular period tissue that has an exit strategy, this stuff has nowhere to go. It causes inflammation, forms scar tissue, and can make life very painful for the person it’s growing in.
Unfortunately, endometriosis remains widely misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated within healthcare systems worldwide. Patients are often left to navigate a web of complex misinformation.
So, if you’ve ever been told “it can’t be that bad” or to “pop a painkiller and push through”, this blog is for you.
Let’s cover some of the most common myths and misconceptions about endometriosis.
Myth 1: It’s just bad period pain
This dismissal of pain as a normal part of menstruation represents both a medical failure and a cultural problem that needs addressing. Many endometriosis patients report being told from a young age that severe period pain is something they simply have to endure.
While mild discomfort during menstruation isn’t unusual, pain that interferes with daily activities, causes vomiting, or requires strong pain medication is NOT normal. Endometriosis pain differs from typical menstrual cramping, and can occur all throughout the month, not just during periods; and can occur throughout the body, not just in and around the pelvis.
Myth 2: It’s all in your head
Endometriosis is a physical disease with clearly observable pathology. While chronic pain can certainly affect mental health, the pain itself stems from biological processes including inflammation, nerve irritation, and organ dysfunction.
The psychological dismissal of physical pain has a long history in women’s healthcare. Endometriosis patients frequently report being told their symptoms are psychosomatic, anxiety-induced, or exaggerated. Some are referred to psychiatrists rather than gynecologists, prescribed antidepressants instead of pain management, or simply told to “reduce stress.”
Nothing says “medical misogyny” quite like telling someone their very real physical pain is just their imagination running wild. This dismissal doesn’t just delay diagnosis—it makes people doubt their own experiences and hesitate to seek the care they desperately need.
Myth 3: Pregnancy will cure endometriosis
Ah, the classic “use a whole human being as a treatment plan” approach. Not only is this advice wildly inappropriate (babies aren’t medicine, folks!), it’s also just flat-out wrong.
While pregnancy might temporarily suppress symptoms for some people thanks to hormonal changes, endometriosis can come roaring back after delivery. Plus, many with endometriosis struggle with fertility in the first place, making this advice extra salt in the wound.
Myth 4: A hysterectomy will cure endometriosis
“Let’s just take out your uterus.” Hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) is often presented as a definitive cure for endometriosis. And the hysterectomy solution gets tossed around like it’s no big deal.
But since endometriosis, by definition, occurs outside the uterus, removing the uterus alone will not eliminate the disease or its symptoms. While some patients experience symptom improvement after hysterectomy with oophorectomy (removal of ovaries), which reduces estrogen that can fuel endometriosis growth, it’s not a guaranteed cure.
Myth 5: Menopause will cure endometriosis
Allegedly, when your hormones change and periods stop, endometriosis magically disappears! Except… it doesn’t work that way for everyone. While some people do experience relief after menopause (natural or surgical), many continue to have symptoms. Those pesky endometriosis implants can still cause inflammation and pain even without the monthly cycle triggering them. Not to mention that hormone replacement therapy, which many use to manage menopause symptoms, can actually stimulate endometriosis lesions and bring back symptoms.
Plus, being told to just suffer through potentially decades of pain until menopause arrives? That’s not a treatment plan—that’s a sentence.
Endometriosis is not simply “bad periods”—it’s a complex, whole-body inflammatory condition that deserves proper attention, research, and treatment. The current state of care reflects deeper cultural issues in medicine that harm real people every day. For now, we can speak up about our experiences, support endo research, and share the realities of life with endometriosis to help others truly understand the endo experience.
We want to hear about your lived experience with endo. Share your story here and help us point the spotlight on endometriosis.
