Learning I Was Worthy of Care

A personal reflection on living with endometriosis

I lived with debilitating menstrual pain for almost ten years before I knew it was endometriosis.

The pain started in high school. I missed school and sometimes vomited on the first day of my cycle. My mother had experienced painful periods too, and doctors often told me that my pain was normal or that I was especially sensitive.

Over time, I began to doubt my own experience. Yet my life revolved around my menstrual cycle—whether I could go out, travel, or make plans. I felt captive to the pain.

In my late twenties, while struggling to conceive, I reached a moment of deep despair. Something within me urged me to keep looking for help.

That search led me to a fertility acupuncturist who was the first person to mention endometriosis. Having a possible name for what I was experiencing felt like a cloud had cleared. I went on to see specialists and had two surgeries that year.

Around that time, in 2015, I also returned to yoga. This time, I approached it with the intention of slowing down and giving my body care.

When I felt cramps or pelvic tension, I would go to a space I had created at home and lie down in a supported position. Sometimes I played calming music. Sometimes I placed my hands where it hurt and breathed.

Of course, I wanted relief. But even when the pain stayed, something was changing in how I treated myself.

I began asking, “There’s pain here. What do I need right now?”

Sometimes I felt calmer. Sometimes the pain felt quieter. These were moments in my own experience, alongside medical care—not a cure or an answer for everyone.

What mattered most was that I was beginning to take my needs seriously.

After years of hearing that my pain was normal or that I was too sensitive, I began trusting what I felt. I could seek help from others and also participate in caring for myself, in small ways available to me.

That has been one of the most meaningful changes in my relationship with endometriosis: recognizing that my needs were worthy of care, even when I could not make the pain go away.

What might caring for yourself look like today, even if the pain is still here?