It is misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Being misunderstood with endometriosis… | By Honey H. | October 2025

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in my early 30s, but I distinctly remember my menstrual cycle not being “normal” even when I was younger. I was extremely sick for days – unable to keep food down, barely able to move, and feeling as if my body had turned to stone. I remember the helplessness of those moments, the exhaustion, the quiet fear that something wasn’t right.

My mom used to tell me that I wasn’t the only one who had bad periods, so I often felt as if she thought I was being dramatic. Eventually, I convinced myself that maybe I was. However, deep down I knew something else was going on. I just didn’t want to push the topic. Looking back, I wish I had done so, because speaking up and seeing a doctor earlier might have led to an earlier diagnosis and avoided years of pain and confusion.

Living with endometriosis often means existing in a world that can’t see or understand what’s really going on beneath the surface. There are misconceptions – myths that these are “just bad periods” or that pain is somehow normal. Then there are the things people say, which are meant to be comforting but often miss the mark. Sometimes, it’s the things left unsaid that resonate the loudest.

These moments may make you feel invisible, outcast, or even doubt your own experience. But awareness is very important, because understanding is what turns silence into compassion, and invisibility into vision.