“I thought the pain was normal” – my life with endometriosis

We are currently in the middle of Endometriosis Awareness Month in March. But even after this month, which is meant to help creating more public awareness and education about this very common and very painful condition, the suffering continues. One in ten women is affected, 200 million worldwide. Our dear Carlotta, who is responsible for addressing and supporting doctors at OvulaRing, tells you her very personal story today.

Hi, I’m Carlotta and I’m #oneoften.

The first time I had severe menstrual pain, I was 17. Before that, I had felt uncomfortable during my period a few times, but it didn’t limit me much. It was also at that time that I started not being able to go to school because of my pain. Then I went to the pharmacy and got some medicine for period pain, so I could deal with it.

For about 5 years, I didn’t really question my period pain. I thought such pain was normal. It was bearable at home with a hot water bottle and if I had something planned, I knew what medication I could take. During my studies I started working here at OvulaRing and VivoSensMedical. Through OvulaRing I became more involved with my own body and I realized that many women hardly have any period pain. Through a self-test I found out that I am probably affected by endometriosis.

However, I thought of endometriosis as very severe with fainting, emergency room and surgeries. I continued to manage my pain with painkillers. Over time, however, I noticed side effects from the painkillers, so I wanted to try it without – this ended up with such severe cramps that I was lying on the bathroom floor crying. As a result, I started exercising more and eating healthier. Walking and light jogging in particular helped me, as did cutting out dairy products. This reduced the pain, but I didn’t want to change my diet completely, so I was never able to do it without painkillers.

However, at the end of 2019, almost 3 years later, the pain became so severe again that I was severely limited even with painkillers. Therefore, I decided to have a hormonal IUD. That was about a year ago. In the meantime, I no longer need painkillers and my period can be tolerated well with a hot water bottle.

Here you will find help and advice:

Endometriosis Association Germany https://www.endometriose-vereinigung.de/home.html

Understanding endometriosishttps://www.jenapharm.de/service/endometriose.pdf

VisualText What is endometriosis? https://www.endometriose-vereinigung.de/was-ist-endometriose.html

Certified endometriosis centers in Germanyhttps://www.endometriose-vereinigung.de/zertifizierte-zentren.html