Stories of hope
Every journey is unique, and every story matters. Here are just a few examples of the incredible women who have found strength, support, and their own definition of success through our community.
Successful IVF
Growing up, I suffered from excruciatingly painful periods starting at a very young age. The pain was so intense that I’d regularly have to miss day one to two days of school each month. As I got older and became more serious in my dance and acting career the fear of my painful periods grew with me. “What if I have a dance performance on day one?” “What if I’m booked for a commercial shoot and I’m in too much pain?” “What if I’m on a long-haul flight and the pain hits?” By 24, the pain had become chronic, accompanied by severe bloating and a growing list of other symptoms. Over the next eight years, I saw multiple gynecologists, gastroenterologists, acupuncturists, urologists.. you name it. I had MRIs, CT scans, colonoscopies, endless blood work—you name it. I was told I had IBS, just bad periods and nothing got better. It wasn’t until I was 33 years old and started having trouble conceiving that a gynecologist discovered a large polyp in my uterus, when discussing surgery I pushed for him to also explore endometriosis. He agreed to check for endometriosis during surgery, this doctor performed ablation surgery and he did find endometriosis. That surgery was ablation— the standard procedure most gynecologists perform and what is typically covered by insurance —but we now know it often causes more harm than good. In my case, it likely led to scar tissue that blocked my left fallopian tube, which we later learned was my dominant ovulation side.
Once it was clear that natural conception was likely not in the cards for me I saw four different fertility doctors, and it became painfully clear that many doctors—even fertility specialists—aren’t trained to properly treat endometriosis-related infertility. I went through five IUIs, three rounds of IVF and countless heartbreaks before I realized I had to take matters into my own hands. I came across EndoFound where I researched and read every bit of information on this website. I learned from EndoFound that I needed an Endometriosis Specialist and I needed to have my endometriosis excised. I finally had true hope. I found my surgeon through the EndoFound website and I was ready to finally get the help I so desperately needed. But yet again, there was another battle: her surgical facility was out-of-network, and she doesn’t work with insurance companies. We were looking at a $15,000 surgeon cost plus the hospital cost. For months, I tirelessly fought tooth and nail to get it approved. I kept telling the surgical office to keep the surgery date because I would do whatever it took to get this approved by insurance. Literally 48 hours before my scheduled surgery we got the call from insurance saying they approved the hospital portion of the cost. We still had to pay $15,000 out of pocket for the surgery, but we were ready and hopeful that this was the answer.
Whether you’re just beginning your journey, in the midst of treatments, or finding your way to a new chapter, your story has the power to inspire and support others.
IVF Success
Growing up, I suffered from excruciatingly painful periods starting at a very young age. The pain was so intense that I’d regularly have to miss day one to two days of school each month. As I got older and became more serious in my dance and acting career the fear of my painful periods grew with me. “What if I have a dance performance on day one?” “What if I’m booked for a commercial shoot and I’m in too much pain?” “What if I’m on a long-haul flight and the pain hits?” By 24, the pain had become chronic, accompanied by severe bloating and a growing list of other symptoms. Over the next eight years, I saw multiple gynecologists, gastroenterologists, acupuncturists, urologists.. you name it. I had MRIs, CT scans, colonoscopies, endless blood work—you name it. I was told I had IBS, just bad periods and nothing got better. It wasn’t until I was 33 years old and started having trouble conceiving that a gynecologist discovered a large polyp in my uterus, when discussing surgery I pushed for him to also explore endometriosis. He agreed to check for endometriosis during surgery, this doctor performed ablation surgery and he did find endometriosis. That surgery was ablation— the standard procedure most gynecologists perform and what is typically covered by insurance —but we now know it often causes more harm than good. In my case, it likely led to scar tissue that blocked my left fallopian tube, which we later learned was my dominant ovulation side.
Once it was clear that natural conception was likely not in the cards for me I saw four different fertility doctors, and it became painfully clear that many doctors—even fertility specialists— aren’t trained to properly treat endometriosis-related infertility. I went through five IUIs, three rounds of IVF and countless heartbreaks before I realized I had to take matters into my own hands. I came across EndoFound where I researched and read every bit of information on this website. I learned from EndoFound that I needed an Endometriosis Specialist and I needed to have my endometriosis excised. I finally had true hope. I found my surgeon through the EndoFound website and I was ready to finally get the help I so desperately needed. But yet again, there was another battle: her surgical facility was out-of-network, and she doesn’t work with insurance companies. We were looking at a $15,000 surgeon cost plus the hospital cost. For months, I tirelessly fought tooth and nail to get it approved. I kept telling the surgical office to keep the surgery date because I would do whatever it took to get this approved by insurance. Literally 48 hours before my scheduled surgery we got the call from insurance saying they approved the hospital portion of the cost. We still had to pay $15,000 out of pocket for the surgery, but we were ready and hopeful that this was the answer.
Your journey matters, your feelings are valid, and your hope is precious.
Finding Peace & Purpose
Growing up, I suffered from excruciatingly painful periods starting at a very young age. The pain was so intense that I’d regularly have to miss day one to two days of school each month. As I got older and became more serious in my dance and acting career the fear of my painful periods grew with me. “What if I have a dance performance on day one?” “What if I’m booked for a commercial shoot and I’m in too much pain?” “What if I’m on a long-haul flight and the pain hits?” By 24, the pain had become chronic, accompanied by severe bloating and a growing list of other symptoms. Over the next eight years, I saw multiple gynecologists, gastroenterologists, acupuncturists, urologists.. you name it. I had MRIs, CT scans, colonoscopies, endless blood work—you name it. I was told I had IBS, just bad periods and nothing got better. It wasn’t until I was 33 years old and started having trouble conceiving that a gynecologist discovered a large polyp in my uterus, when discussing surgery I pushed for him to also explore endometriosis. He agreed to check for endometriosis during surgery, this doctor performed ablation surgery and he did find endometriosis. That surgery was ablation— the standard procedure most gynecologists perform and what is typically covered by insurance —but we now know it often causes more harm than good. In my case, it likely led to scar tissue that blocked my left fallopian tube, which we later learned was my dominant ovulation side.
Rediscovering My Strength
Growing up, I battled extremely painful periods from a young age — pain so intense that I’d often miss one or two days of school every single month. As my dance and acting career became more serious, the fear of those painful days only increased.
“What if I have a performance on day one?”
“What if I’m booked for a shoot and the pain disables me?”
“What if it hits during a long flight?”By age 24, the pain turned chronic. Severe bloating and a long list of unexplained symptoms became part of my everyday life. Over the next eight years, I saw nearly every type of specialist — gynecologists, gastroenterologists, acupuncturists, urologists. I had MRIs, CT scans, colonoscopies, endless blood work. Every answer was the same: IBS, stress, or “just bad periods.” Nothing changed.At 33, when I began struggling to conceive, a gynecologist finally discovered a large polyp in my uterus. During surgery discussions, I pushed him to also investigate endometriosis. He reluctantly agreed.During the procedure, he performed ablation surgery — the standard treatment often covered by insurance — and confirmed endometriosis. But ablation, while common, is now known to cause complications. In my case, it likely created scar tissue that blocked my left fallopian tube — which turned out to be my dominant ovulation side.
Once it was clear that natural conception was likely not in the cards for me I saw four different fertility doctors, and it became painfully clear that many doctors—even fertility specialists— aren’t trained to properly treat endometriosis-related infertility. I went through five IUIs, three rounds of IVF and countless heartbreaks before I realized I had to take matters into my own hands. I came across EndoFound where I researched and read every bit of information on this website. I learned from EndoFound that I needed an Endometriosis Specialist and I needed to have my endometriosis excised. I finally had true hope. I found my surgeon through the EndoFound website and I was ready to finally get the help I so desperately needed. But yet again, there was another battle: her surgical facility was out-of-network, and she doesn’t work with insurance companies. We were looking at a $15,000 surgeon cost plus the hospital cost. For months, I tirelessly fought tooth and nail to get it approved. I kept telling the surgical office to keep the surgery date because I would do whatever it took to get this approved by insurance. Literally 48 hours before my scheduled surgery we got the call from insurance saying they approved the hospital portion of the cost. We still had to pay $15,000 out of pocket for the surgery, but we were ready and hopeful that this was the answer.