When Endometriosis Awareness Day rolls around each year, the internet fills up with infographics, ribbons, and beige‑toned reminders that “one in nine Aussie women live with endo”. And while awareness is nice, it’s hard to feel particularly warm and fuzzy when the healthcare system still treats diagnosis like a scavenger hunt and patients like over‑dramatic schoolgirls.
So, this year, I asked readers to tell me: what’s the most ridiculous, cooked, or just plain insulting thing someone has ever said to you about your endo?
The results? Diabolical.
“My doctor told me to get pregnant at 22 to solve it, and not bother trying any later.”
– *Rita
A tale as old as time. Medical misogyny’s greatest hit.
“Same. Told me to get pregnant to solve it and not bother trying any later.”
– *Maddie
Apparently, a uterus isn’t just an organ, it’s a problem only a baby can fix.
“When I was 17, my 27‑year‑old female manager told me to have a baby with my high school boyfriend.”
– *Bex
Because who doesn’t want unsolicited family‑planning advice at their casual job?
– *Lily
“The doctor said my pain wasn’t impressive.”
– *Emily
Nothing like turning chronic illness into a talent show.
“Doctor once told me I might just need to poo really badly.”
– *Rosa
Imagine thinking you went in for gynaecology and left with laxative recommendations.
“Can’t you just drink some cranberry juice?”
– *Esme
If cranberry juice did that much heavy lifting, women’s health would’ve been solved decades ago.
“Telling me to get pregnant at 19 was cool.”
– *Louise
Weird how getting pregnant keeps popping up like it’s on the official endo checklist.
“The head of HR told me that I would only need a week to recover from surgery… it took three.”
– *Maya
Love when corporate wellness culture meets actual surgery recovery.
“’Just have a baby, that will fix it’. Had to have surgery to get pregnant and am not fixed.”
– *Zahra
Turns out giving birth doesn’t magically rewire your organs. Who knew?
– *Fiona
“A stranger (!!) said, ‘It’s caused by trauma with your dad. What’s your relationship like with your dad?’”
– *Rae
The (!!) is doing a lot of work here. Because, truly, what kind of person says that out loud — to a stranger?
“Pain is normal. Just take stronger meds. We all get tired, you’ve just got to get on with it.”
– *Lola
And of course, that pep talk came from a man.
“Have you considered having another baby to fix it?”
– *Sarah
Because apparently one cure‑baby wasn’t enough.
“My $13k surgery quote for a diagnosis. My original gyno quoted me $5.5k, then I called around. One in Bondi Junction was charging $13k, another in the city $11k. Neither took private health, all out of pocket. Now flying to Brisbane for it. That’s all before a diagnosis — I’ve spent $1k just trying to get booked for the surgery.”
– *Lana
If the medical gaslighting doesn’t get you, the cost of basic care will.
When I was first getting diagnosed around 19 or 20, I was walked through my “treatment options” — the pill, pain management, and yes, getting pregnant. Not just as a fertility conversation, but as an actual treatment. The idea that it might “reset” your body somehow. That myth has long been debunked, but it clearly never died (judging by the inbox full of proof sitting in front of me).
This article came out of a conversation about how weirdly apathetic I’ve become to endometriosis awareness month. The pain is so constant, and the care so inconsistent, that it just becomes background noise. The hashtags and awareness posts can start to feel, well, hollow.
But reading these stories? That snapped me out of it. The ignorance, the dismissiveness, the casual cruelty — it reignited the rage that sometimes gets buried under fatigue. It reminded me that awareness isn’t the finish line. It’s the bare minimum.
And until real change happens, aka proper funding, faster diagnosis, actual research, we’ll keep using that anger to call it out. Because we shouldn’t have to drink cranberry juice or make babies to be believed.
*All names have been changed for anonymity.
Lead image: Mean Girls / Instagram
The post 15 People With Endometriosis Reveal The Most Fkd Comments Folks Have Said To Their Face appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
