WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Endometriosis is a painful and often misunderstood condition that can disrupt daily life, mental health, and fertility. Yet it frequently takes years for patients to get answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDelaying diagnosis is a major concern with endometriosis,\u201d said Novant Health OB-GYN Dr. Somya Navejar. \u201cIt can take an average of 4 to 11 years for a woman to be diagnosed from the onset of their symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, a time when health experts and patients hope to see faster symptom recognition and greater support for those living with the disease.<\/p>\n
Endometriosis happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in places it shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cEndometriosis is when the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus is abnormally found in other parts of the pelvis,\u201d Navejar said. That can include the fallopian tubes, ovaries, pelvic sidewall, bowel, or bladder.<\/p>\n
That tissue responds to estrogen, she explained, meaning it can become inflamed as hormone levels change across the menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n
One reason endometriosis can be hard to catch: symptoms don\u2019t show up on routine tests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not something that necessarily shows up on a blood test. It\u2019s not going to show up on our Pap smear,\u201d Navejar said. \u201cIt really relies on women explaining their symptoms and their healthcare provider understanding the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Endometriosis symptoms can vary, but Navejar said common signs include:<\/p>\n
Pelvic pain, especially before or during a menstrual cyclePainful intercoursePainful bowel movementsPainful urinationInfertility<\/p>\n
Navejar said it can be difficult to distinguish endometriosis from menstrual cramps. But one clue: whether over-the-counter medication helps.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo Tylenol or ibuprofen help relieve your symptoms?\u201d she said. \u201cIf not, it could be something more severe like endometriosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Casey Berna, a licensed clinical social worker in Wilmington, North Carolina, and an endometriosis patient advocate, symptoms started before her first period.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike so many other patients, my road to diagnosis was delayed and very long,\u201d Berna said.<\/p>\n
She said her symptoms continued into high school, and by college, she felt \u201cvery ill.\u201d But instead of answers, Berna said she heard explanations that didn\u2019t fit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept going to so many doctors who would tell me it\u2019s anxiety or irritable bowel syndrome,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Berna said the repeated misdiagnoses took a toll.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very frustrating not having answers as to why I was feeling awful, why it was hard for me to go to school, to go to work, to function like everyone else,\u201d she said. \u201cI was often made to feel that I had a low pain tolerance or I had mental health issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the impact wasn\u2019t just physical.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is such a huge impact on our mental health, on our capacity to thrive, to go to school, to work,\u201d Berna said. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating and also really harmful in a lot of ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berna said she was eventually diagnosed in her mid-20s after infertility, but even then, she didn\u2019t fully understand what it meant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got that diagnosis, it was very much said nonchalantly,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I even then didn\u2019t understand what it meant to be an endometriosis patient or the extent of the disease that I had.\u201d <\/p>\n
Historically, endometriosis was often confirmed with surgery. Navejar said that reliance contributed to delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big part of this is that traditionally OB-GYNs have relied on surgery to officially diagnose endometriosis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Now, she said, many medical organizations are shifting toward clinical diagnosis \u2014 recognizing symptoms and exam findings sooner so patients can start treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo talking with a patient about their symptoms, doing a physical exam, and giving them a presumptive diagnosis\u2026 so that we\u2019re not delaying access to care,\u201d Navejar said. FDA-approved medications<\/p>\n
Navejar said treatment options have expanded in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven in just the last 10 years, we do have new FDA-approved medications that are approved specifically for endometriosis,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also have advanced surgical options\u2026 minimally invasive surgeries such as robotic laparoscopy, which can improve recovery times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berna said surgery with an excision specialist later revealed how extensive her disease was.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first excision surgery was four hours long, and it was impacting every organ in my pelvis,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was very validating to know that it wasn\u2019t in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Navejar said awareness can help people recognize red flags and advocate for themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo much of getting an endometriosis diagnosis relies on a patient\u2019s symptoms, their clinical history, what they\u2019re experiencing day in and out,\u201d she said. \u201cThe more we can raise public awareness, the more women have the information to really advocate for themselves and empower themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Navejar encourages patients to keep a menstrual calendar and bring it to annual appointments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat day did your period start? How bad was the pain? What other symptoms\u2026 were you experiencing?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
If pain is disrupting daily life, she said it\u2019s time to seek care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re staying home, missing out on things due to pain, that\u2019s really the time to go seek care,\u201d Navejar said.<\/p>\n
And for those who feel dismissed, Navejar recommends persistence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvocate for yourself. You know your body the best,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not getting answers\u2026 seek a second opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berna said the long search for answers can be \u201creally tolling\u201d on mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that endometriosis is associated with anxiety and depression,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also pointed to a BBC survey of endometriosis patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe BBC did a study where they surveyed thousands and thousands of endometriosis patients, and almost half of them expressed suicidal ideations,\u201d Berna said.<\/p>\n
Berna said being in pain and being told nothing is wrong can change how patients relate to their bodies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we go from doctor to doctor and are told that nothing\u2019s wrong, it has a profound impact on trusting our body,\u201d she said. \u201cWe spend so much time feeling invalidated, and then we have to act as if nothing\u2019s wrong, which is also really traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over time, she said she\u2019s had a better quality of life, but also noted that many patients face other diagnoses alongside endometriosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith endometriosis, there are so many comorbidities that come with it,\u201d she said, citing adenomyosis, fibroids, and other conditions.<\/p>\n
If someone thinks they may have endometriosis, Berna urges them to take their symptoms seriously and seek community.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to your body, connect with others in the community,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t let anyone else tell you that what you\u2019re feeling isn\u2019t real.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berna said one challenge is that many people simply don\u2019t know what endometriosis is, which can make support harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people don\u2019t know how to support others with endometriosis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 WECT. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Endometriosis is a painful and often misunderstood condition that can disrupt daily life, mental…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363371,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[164043,164045,54988,164042,164044,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-363370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-casey-berna","tag-endometrial-tissue","tag-endometriosis","tag-endometriosis-awareness-month","tag-female-disease","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}