Endometriosis Awareness Month—The Pain We’re Still Not Listening To

Mar 9

Written By Comma

Endometriosis Is Not “Just a Bad Period.”

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, but awareness alone has never been the central problem with regards to this condition. The problem is that severe menstrual pain has been normalized for so long that many people experiencing it are told—implicitly or explicitly—that disruption to daily life is simply part of having a period. Missing school, work, or other responsibilities because of menstrual pain is treated as routine. Rather than a symptom of an underlying issue, associated pain is categorized as a symptom of womanhood.

For too long, endometriosis has been minimized as “bad cramps,” “just hormones,” or something people are expected to tolerate. Endometriosis is common, complex, and often misunderstood. And awareness isn’t just symbolic—it’s one of the first steps toward earlier diagnosis and better care.

At Comma, we believe your pain is data. And data deserves to be taken seriously.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. These growths, often called lesions, are most commonly found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel, bladder, and surrounding pelvic tissue. In some cases, it can also appear in areas like the abdomen or diaphragm, and more rarely, in the lungs.

Like the uterine lining (the tissue you shed during your period), endometriosis lesions respond to hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle. But unlike a normal period, this tissue has no way to exit the body, causing inflammation, irritation, and sometimes scar tissue.

Medically, endometriosis is classified from stage 1 to stage 4, based on where the endometrial tissue is found in the body, how far it has spread, and how much tissue is present. Endometriosis has been recognized as a condition that mimics cancer.

Endometriosis looks different in every person. The severity of pain does not always correlate with the amount of visible disease. Some individuals with extensive lesions experience mild symptoms, while others with minimal visible disease experience severe pain.

It is not a rare condition. It is not dramatic. It is not a low pain tolerance. It is a chronic inflammatory condition that deserves serious care.

A Decade-Long Diagnostic Wait

Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women and people who menstruate. And yet, it takes an average of 7 to 10 years to receive a diagnosis.

This delay is not accidental, it’s often a direct result of:

Period pain being normalized or dismissed as “part of being a woman”
Lack of awareness and inconsistent education across healthcare
Limited access to specialists trained in endometriosis care
The fact that a definitive diagnosis has traditionally required surgery
Systemic bias in how pain is treated and believed

The result can be unmanaged pain, uncertainty, and deep self-doubt. We deserve answers sooner.

What Endometriosis Can Feel Like

Endometriosis doesn’t present the same way for everyone, but common symptoms include:

Chronic pelvic pain (in pelvic area, lower abdomen, or lower back)
Painful periods
Heavy or irregular periods
Pain during or after sex
Painful bowel movements or urination
Chronic fatigue
Fertility challenges

For some people, the pain associated with endometriosis can be extremely severe. Some patients describe their symptoms as worse than childbirth. Unlike the acute pain experienced during labor, endometriosis pain can be relentless—returning month after month for years.

Despite the severity many patients experience, endometriosis remains widely under-discussed and often misunderstood.

Why Diagnosis is So Difficult

The diagnostic pathway for endometriosis is uniquely challenging. A definitive diagnosis is confirmed through a laparoscopy, a surgical procedure where a surgeon makes incisions in the abdomen to examine and visually identify endometrial lesions. During this procedure, lesions are often removed and sent for laboratory analysis.

Being told you need surgery to confirm a diagnosis can be frightening—and it’s a major barrier for many patients, whether for medical, financial, or personal reasons.

Providers can also make a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms, medical history, and a pelvic exam, sometimes supported by imaging such as ultrasound or MRI. However, imaging may only detect certain forms of endometriosis, and many cases do not appear clearly on scans.

Because (1) there is no single, non-invasive test that confirms endometriosis, (2) symptoms can overlap with other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or pelvic floor dysfunction, and (3) women’s pain has historically been minimized, a diagnosis presents a multitude of complexities.

Endometriosis exists at the intersection of biology and bias. That complexity deserves thoughtful, patient-centered care—not dismissal.

This is Endometriosis — A Raw and Personal Look into the Disease

To deepen this conversation, we’re sharing This Is Endometriosis—an intimate and expressive short film that captures what it truly means to live with this condition.

Told in the first person, the film follows photographer Georgie Wileman as she reflects on how endometriosis has robbed her of time. Blending present-day narration with personal archives, self-documented footage, and reconstructed memories, the film offers rare and deeply personal access to the reality of navigating chronic pain while facing disbelief by medical professionals.

Seen through Georgie’s raw and powerful photography, This Is Endometriosis is more than a story about illness. It’s a story about time, resilience, and the cost of not believing women… the first time. The film won Best British Short Film at the 2026 BAFTAs, and we’re honored to share it here.

Treatment Options

There is currently no universal cure for endometriosis, but there are several treatment options that aim to reduce pain, slow lesion growth, and improve quality of life. Treatment is highly individualized and depends on symptoms and fertility goals.

Common approaches include:

Pain relief medications (such as NSAIDs) to manage inflammation and discomfort
Hormonal therapies (estrogen-progestin contraceptives like birth control pills, patches, rings, or progestin-only methods) to suppress ovulation and reduce lesion activity
GnRH agonists or antagonists, which temporarily lower estrogen levels to reduce pain
Laparoscopic surgery to remove or destroy endometriosis lesions
In some cases, hysterectomy, for severe symptoms when other treatments have failed and pregnancy is not desired

Many patients use a combination of medical treatment, pelvic floor therapy, lifestyle adjustments, and ongoing symptom management.

The goal of treatment isn’t just to “tolerate” the pain—it’s to improve function, preserve fertility when desired, and support long-term wellbeing.

What We’re Building

No one should live in chronic pain for years before their symptoms are taken seriously. Endometriosis deserves more research, more funding, and broader recognition as a chronic, full-body disease, not just a gynecological one.

At Comma, we have team members with first-hand experience of this diagnostic delay. It is a painful display of the dismissal so many women face in healthcare. We want everyone living with endometriosis to know: we see you, we are you, and we’ve been actively working to improve patient care.

For the past several months, we’ve been building a predictive algorithm designed to help identify signs and symptoms associated with endometriosis and connect people to care more quickly and responsibly. Later this year, Sara™—our secure cycle tracking platform—will be able to flag potential risk in users’ cycle tracking data, provide a risk evaluation score, and equip patients with tangible information to bring to their providers, supporting more evidence-based, data-driven conversations.

We are committed to help end the decade-long wait many face before receiving an endometriosis diagnosis.

Because all menstruators deserve better, period.