One of the biggest myths about endometriosis is that it is a period condition or, as many of us have heard, “just a bad period”. We know, however, that this is not the case and that it is a full body disease1 with symptoms to match. By the time I received my diagnosis, the symptoms that I suffered most with were extremely heavy and painful periods, pelvic pain, pain in my hips, lower back and flank, chest pain, nausea, fatigue, constipation, urinary issues and pain, pain during ovulation, pain during and after sex, irregular periods, and infertility. And these were not just felt during my period. They were every single day. I always knew that the amount of pain I was in wasn’t normal, despite often being told that it was. But I never realised just how many of the things that I was struggling with, and could never find answers for, were connected to endometriosis. Tracking these symptoms in detail is what changed things for me. I was able to connect these symptoms that were spread throughout my body, notice what made them worse, or better, and spot any patterns among them. I didn’t use anything special, just a pen and paper, and wrote down everything I could: the symptom, a description of how the pain felt, its location, severity and duration, anything that triggered it, and if anything eased it. Being as specific as possible was key. It helped myself, my loved ones, and my medical team to understand what was happening in my body and what to try to manage my symptoms. I truly believe that keeping an accurate diary like this paid an enormous part in receiving a diagnosis at the age of 33, 22 years after first looking for answers. Tracking my symptoms has also helped me in my day-to-day management of endometriosis. I’ve been able to understand what triggers certain symptoms and what lifestyle changes I can make to support myself and help manage my pain. Endometriosis can take over your life and make you feel like you have lost control. Truly understanding my symptoms in this way has allowed me to take a tiny bit of that control back. References: Kennedy S. et al., 2005; Klemm et al., 2018; Saunders et al., 2021, International working group of AAGL, ESGE, ESHRE and WES et al 2021