Have you ever had your period pain dismissed as "just bad cramps"? It’s annoying, demoralizing, and frustrating, especially when you know it’s not normal.
If you’re concerned there might be more to it, a doctor has explained exactly what endometriosis is and why it can be so painful.
He’s also shared why, for some people, the pain doesn’t magically disappear once their period ends.
So, what’s actually going on inside the body?
In the video, Dr Michael, who has more than 500k followers on TikTok, explains that endometrial tissue is normally found lining the uterus.
He said: “During the menstrual cycle, it is acted on by oestrogen and progesterone, which helps the tissue become mature and ready to accept a foetus.
“When there's no pregnancy, it means that this tissue has to be shed, and that's when you get your menstrual period. Endometriosis is when there's endometrial tissue not just in the uterus, but anywhere in the pelvis or in the abdomen. Those bits of tissue are acted on by oestrogen and progesterone, but they can’t shed, like the uterus does.”
Instead of leaving the body, the tissue continues to grow and inflame the surrounding areas. That ongoing irritation is what can lead to chronic pain, not just during menstruation, but throughout the month.
This is why endometriosis pain can feel relentless. Even when someone isn’t actively bleeding, the affected tissue is still reacting to hormonal changes, which can cause inflammation, swelling, and pain that radiates through the pelvis, abdomen, back, and legs.
Doctor Michael added that this is also why endometriosis can be so misunderstood. On the outside, there may be no visible signs, but internally, the body is dealing with tissue behaving in ways it simply wasn’t designed to.
“People can really suffer,” he said. This understatement resonated with many commenters who shared their own experiences of debilitating pain, delayed diagnoses, and being told their symptoms were “normal.” One user replied: “Just had surgery for endometriosis - I’ve never known pain like that!!”
According to medical experts, endometriosis affects around one in 10 people with a uterus, yet it can take years to be properly diagnosed. Frustratingly, many people only learn what’s happening in their bodies after long periods of uncertainty.
Saphhia Cousins has been documenting her endo journey on social media for over two years, but has been searching for a diagnosis for almost two decades.
In October last year, she discovered she had stage four endometriosis, and it had caused such severe damage to her bowel and other organs that she needed life-saving surgery and a temporary stoma bag.
She told her followers: “I've been suffering with endometriosis since I was in school. I used to go to my doctor's almost every single month and tell them, ‘these pains are not okay, they are not normal’. They just completely ignored and said it's a period.”
Sapphia explained that it was only when she said she was having fertility issues at 32 that they began to take her seriously.
During exploratory surgery, they discovered her uterus, womb, and a lot of her organs were “basically all stuck and meshed together.”
In another video, she shared that the surgery had taken eight hours and doctors discovered that the endometriosis was in her bladder and bowels. This meant she required a temporary stoma bag.
After detailing the aftermath, Sapphia told viewers: “Please, guys, if you think you have endometriosis, if you have the symptoms, if your periods are painful, please speak to adults. I'm a mess, and I don't want anyone else to be a mess like this.”