Finally! Thirty (30!) years after the first time I remember pain interfering with my ability to do normal daily stuff (attend school), I have a diagnosis and, fingers crossed, relief.

Not all of it is on the doctors who had a single recommendation—birth control. Unfortunately, my mother’s understanding of Catholicism meant no birth control ever. The fear-mongering over birth control in health class (in Catholic school and in public school where my mother selected the abstinence-only version) didn’t make me want to push the subject, either.

Eventually, I was told it might be endometriosis and there was a surgery for that—if I had trouble getting pregnant.

I had more symptoms, worsening symptoms, and more frequent symptoms as time went on. I did eventually try 3 (4?) birth control options over 5ish years, but they didn’t help much and didn’t work quite right. Maybe the build up of untreated damage made them ineffective.

Anyway, the worst of the endometriosis was exactly where I said it was and I’m so glad to have FINALLY found a doctor who heard me and cared about my quality of life and not just my ability to birth children.