Community Snapshot: The Impact of Endometriosis
As National Endometriosis Month draws to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the types of discussions we’ve had over the past few weeks. Of course, our conversations about endometriosis will go well beyond March. Since endometriosis is estimated to impact 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, which is roughly 176 million across the globe, we knew that even from a purely statistical perspective, endometriosis deeply impacts the womxn in our community . In this month’s Community Snapshot, we wanted to shed light onto the impact that endo has on the LILAS community We asked our Instagram followers and discovered that:
In looking at these metrics, I’m most startled by how few of us were taught about endometriosis in school. Considering that 1 in 10 women of reproductive age are impacted by it, more than 1 in 10 of us should learn about it in school, right? May we all continue to remember the impact of endometriosis and the strength of endo warriors in the months ahead. We’re looking forward to next month’s Community Snapshot!
Here’s just a quick summary of the ways we at LILAS have engaged with endometriosis this month:
- “Endometriosis Awareness Month"– In this first post, we discussed the historical and current understandings of endometriosis as a condition, being sure to emphasize that it is still very underdiagnosed and misunderstood.
- “When Should I Ask About Endometriosis?”– The official diagnosis of endometriosis is often delayed 6 to 11 years after the initial onset of symptoms. We considered how factors like early detection difficulty, misdiagnosis, and hegemonic masculinity in medicine contribute to this delay.
- “‘Your Body is Your Own’– Endometriosis Experiences with LILAS Ambassador Victoria Marmet” – We had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Victoria Marmet, a LILAS ambassador, skilled blogger, and endo warrior. She shares what inspires her to be an endometriosis advocate and reminds us that we know our bodies best.
- “Beyond the Blog: Endometriosis Awareness Series on YouTube”– We really enjoyed bringing multimedia content to our blog! In this post, we share two videos from our Endometriosis Awareness series interviewing three incredible endo warriors, Jess, Marshea, and Liz. Be sure to check out the rest of the series on our YouTube channel!
If you'd like to learn more about endometriosis and the lives of endo warriors, here are some further resources: