Adenomyosis

A condition where endometrial-like tissue grows within the walls of the uterus. Oftentimes called the cousin to Endometriosis.

Share Your Story: Leidy

| Bloomin' Uterus
A woman standing in front of a grassy lawn wearing a pink sweater, gray hat, and sunglasses

Leidy lives in Germany and was 35 years old when she was told she had Endometriosis. Now 42, she would like to share her story with everyone cares to read it. A battle which literally spans the globe in search of answers, a series of numerous misdiagnoses, and Leidy is one hell of a Warrior.

Leidy’s Journey:   I am now 42 years old but since my first period, I have had problems. 

My main problem is in my bowels. Which misled my specialists to find the correct diagnosis. The only issue I had, related to my period, was irregular bleeding. 

Each month I bled during my ovulation. My period lasts sometimes more than a week. And I bled during sexual intercourse. The pain during the period was not severe and Ibuprofen usually was enough to alleviate the pain.

Continue reading →

Share Your Story: Kimberli

| Bloomin' Uterus
Smiling woman dressed in yellow

After a long battle for answers, Kimberli was finally diagnosed with Endometriosis at 27 years old. Four years later, she’s forging ahead with the disease, spreading awareness, raising hopes and spirits, and supporting EndoWarriors everywhere!

Kimberli’S JOURNEY:  

I remember getting my period at age 11, one of the first out of my group of friends. Besides heavy bleeding, I didn’t think too much about anything being ‘wrong’. I was athletic, I played all sorts of sports, ate fairly healthy for a kid and was always playing outside or doing things with my friends. My immune system was pretty crappy though, I got sick a lot. Just your typical strep throat and flu type sicknesses. It wasn’t until high school, where I really started to notice some more symptoms. Bowel issues, severe headaches, horrible cramps.

Continue reading →

Share your Story: Nathaly

| Bloomin' Uterus
Woman standing holding a box that reads "Happy Birthday"

Nathaly was diagnosed with Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, and fibroids when she was 26 years old.  A year later, she shares her story with us.  And, Nathaly will be walking on March 25th with friends and family at our Endometriosis Awareness walk! Looking forward to meeting her ❤

Nathaly’s Journey: My story starts when I was only 11 years old. I often found myself curled up in a ball waiting until I would finally pass out so the pain could be over. My mother was very strict growing up so birth control was out of the question, even if it was for medical purposes.

Continue reading →

October’s Winner!

| Bloomin' Uterus
drawing of a woman wrapped in a towel

Congratulations, Debbie of New Jersey, for winning our October Coloring Contest!  You’re automatically entered to win our Grand Prize: having your design printed on a t-shirt next year!  All profits of the t-shirt sales will go to the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

If you’d like to enter our contest, a winner will be picked every month until April 1, 2017.  And the best part?  Spreading Endo awareness and having fun at the same time!  Who doesn’t like coloring?!?

Continue reading →

Feel Good Fridays

| Bloomin' Uterus
text that reads "never give up"

We made it through another week!

Today’s quote comes from Lara, a fellow blogger.  She suffers from Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, and Interstitial Cystitis.  And I fell in love with her writing…With permission, she allows me to share it with you today.  Even if you don’t suffer with the pain and issues of these conditions, her words are powerful to every struggle:

“But I won’t give up. Not today. Not tomorrow. I’ll always fight my hardest to embrace my normal. To not let it anger me, but to let it empower me. Because what other choice do I have? Nada.”

And have a wonderful weekend.

Yours, Lisa

Cervical Endometriosis

| Bloomin' Uterus
Sprinkle-covered donut
…not really a cervix, but you get it… 😉

So, WordPress shows me a lot of the searches that people run that lead them to my site.  One has recently come up again and again.  “Cervical Endometriosis” and “Endometriosis on Cervix.”

Seeing as I’ve never touched up on that particular location, I figured I would today!

What are the symptoms? How are you diagnosed?  What’s the treatment?

Continue reading →

Adenomyosis

| Bloomin' Uterus
The word Adenomyosis covered in little spots and lesions

April is Adenomyosis Awareness Month.  Ado-what-o?  A disease, similar to Endo; some say Ado is the cousin to Endometriosis.  And many people with Endo also suffer with Adenomyosis.  So, I figured I’d spread a bit of awareness of Ado during this month and learn something in the process.

A few folks who attended our Endo walk suffer also from Adeno.  And one who showed up to our last Endo support group meeting suffers from Ado (but not Endo).  It’s a term I’m beginning to hear a lot more about.  But, what is it?

Continue reading →

Share your Story : Rebecca

| Bloomin' Uterus
A young woman in a hospital bed giving two thumbs up

My Journey with Endometriosis & Adenomyosis by Rebecca L. Gibson

I was always healthy and active in sports while growing up. In 2008, I married my childhood sweetheart and we began our life together. Everything changed in 2009 when I developed symptoms of endometriosis. Endometriosis (en-doh-mee-tree-oh-sis) is an extremely painful condition where tissue resembling – but not the same as – the endometrium (lining of the uterus) is found elsewhere in the body, outside the womb. Although symptoms may indicate endometriosis, an official diagnosis can only be made through surgery. Common symptoms include, but are not limited to –pelvic pain apart from menses, debilitating menstrual pain, backache/leg pain, painful intercourse or pain associated with sexual activity, painful bowel movements, fatigue, bloating, constipation/diarrhea, which may worsen during menses, pain with exercise, painful pelvic exams, painful urination, sciatic pain, infertility/pregnancy loss.

Continue reading →