Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

Endometriosis: So Much More Than Bad Cramps

This disease can have brutal consequences, and yet it’s notoriously under-researched and under-diagnosed

On the John Hopkins Medicine website, the “woman with endometriosis” looks mildly uncomfortable, but still, she’s managed to get dressed and can sit upright. She even has a cup of tea and a book to get her through this day. She is immaculate in white.

The mainstream portrayal of endometriosis, like this one on the John Hopkins Medicine website, does not reflect the reality of most who have the disease.

One of the most well-respected medical institutions in the world is visually representing endometriosis as some mildly inconveniencing condition where women can just lay in bed, sipping chamomile tea and reading poetry, waiting for their menstrual cramps to pass. And this is a problem, because not only does it reflect a (patriarchal) medical system that still does not take endometriosis seriously, it reinforces the idea that endometriosis is just a day of bad cramps.

What does endometriosis really look like?