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Women's Health Week is an opportunity to challenge one of the biggest myths about endometriosis: that it is simply a period condition. This misconception has real consequences, contributing to stigma, delayed diagnosis and too many people living in pain without answers. One of the most persistent misconceptions about endometriosis is that it is a "period condition."
It isn't.
While painful or heavy periods can be symptoms of endometriosis, the condition itself is not a period disorder. Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can affect multiple areas of the body, and symptoms can occur throughout the month, not only during menstruation.
Because endometriosis is so often reduced to "bad periods", people may spend years believing that severe pain is something they simply have to live with. Others are told their symptoms are normal, that they will grow out of them, or that pain is simply part of having a period.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, around one in seven girls, women and those assigned female at birth are estimated to have endometriosis. Yet despite how common it is, diagnosis can take years.
Part of that delay comes from misunderstanding what endometriosis actually is.
Menstrual pain may be one symptom, but endometriosis can also be associated with ongoing pelvic pain, bowel and bladder symptoms, pain during or after sex, bloating, fatigue, lower back or hip pain, nausea, difficulty concentrating and fertility challenges for some. Symptoms and experiences vary significantly. Some people experience symptoms mainly around menstruation, while others experience pain, fatigue or other symptoms throughout their cycle or every day.
The impact can reach far beyond physical symptoms. Endometriosis can affect education, mahi, relationships, intimacy, finances, mental wellbeing, social connection and someone's ability to participate in everyday activities. Because endometriosis is largely invisible, many of those living with it become very good at hiding how much they are struggling.
When we describe endometriosis as "just a period condition", we minimise its impact and risk reinforcing the idea that severe symptoms should simply be tolerated. Recognising endometriosis as the complex chronic disease it creates space for better education, earlier conversations about symptoms, appropriate healthcare and greater understanding from whānau, schools, workplaces and communities.
At Endo Warriors Aotearoa, we hear from people who have spent years wondering whether what they were experiencing was normal. Through education, practical resources, community support and lived-experience advocacy, we're working to change that.
No one should have to spend years fighting to be heard, believed or supported.
Women's Health Week gives us an important platform to talk about conditions such as endometriosis, but inclusivity matters in these conversations too. Endometriosis does not affect
only one type of person, body, background or identity.
At Endo Warriors Aotearoa, our support is for everyone affected by endometriosis. We recognise and welcome the diverse experiences of girls, women, transgender people, non-binary people and others within our communities.
Everyone deserves access to respectful information, appropriate healthcare and support without assumptions being made about their gender, identity, relationships, fertility choices or what their experience of endometriosis should look like.
This Women's Health Week, let's change the conversation.
Let's stop defining endometriosis by periods alone.
Let's listen to lived experiences.
Let's recognise its impact across health and everyday life.
And let's make sure everyone affected knows that their symptoms matter and they deserve to be heard.
Endo Warriors Aotearoa provides free endometriosis and menstrual-health education, practical tools, advocacy resources and community support across Aotearoa.
Our Factsheets, Guides and Templates include symptom trackers, appointment preparation resources, advocacy tools and educational information:
https://www.endowarriorsaotearoa.com/resources
Our free My Body, My Voice: Endometriosis Whole-Body Symptom & Support Diary is a 34-page fillable digital resource designed to help people record symptoms, flares, pain plans, appointments, support needs and the impact on everyday life:
Endo Warriors Aotearoa is a registered New Zealand charity led by lived experience. We provide inclusive endometriosis and menstrual-health education, practical resources, advocacy and community support across Aotearoa. Our mahi is for everyone affected by endometriosis, and we are committed to creating spaces where people are respected, believed and supported.
