Endometriosis is Ruining My Life

Here’s how Vegan-Feminism is helping cushion the blow.

As I write this, I’m currently curled into a small ball on my bed. Heat pad steaming, tea steeping, essential oils diffusing, and migraine cap freezing. Endometriosis sucks.

I first started experiencing symptoms at 17. I had lost my period for about six months due to a very stressful personal situation and finally got it back… with a vengeance. I began missing school, missing work, and missing my friends. I began taking over-the-counter painkillers or CBD oil nearly every day.

Nothing helped. No amount of Tylenol or Cannabis and no amount of rest could soften the excruciating pain. I tried an IUD that stopped my periods altogether, but it caused me to have a medical emergency in 2020 that nearly took my life. I tried the pill for two weeks, and it gave me strange heart palpitations. I looked into all forms of birth control that could help with my pain, but the only ones that claimed to soothe cramps contained animal hormones. The only vegan birth control (aside from condoms and such) is a copper IUD that allegedly makes cramps even worse.

So, I’m trapped. The pain only continues to get worse. Not only am I doubled over near and around my period, but ovulation hurts just as bad. I can literally feel the cysts forming in my ovaries. The pain is so bad on the first two days of my period that I literally can not walk, and my husband has to carry me around the house.

But where does Vegan-Feminism come into play in all of this? Surely, a moral philosophy has nothing to do with a health condition. Maybe at face value, but over here, we like to dig deep.

Vegan-Feminism plays a large role in how I care for myself. I live in the USA, where period pain is still not taken seriously, and there is no paid menstrual leave like countries Indonesia, Spain, and Japan. I work and attend school from home, for which I am eternally grateful. However, neither my school nor my employer offers accommodations right off the bat. I've had to utilize my Vegan-Feminism beliefs in advocating for women and animals (including myself) and ask for arrangements that allow me to complete my tasks without expending myself. Thanks to the wonderful people in my school and company, I’m able to attend work and school entirely from home indefinitely, and a recent scholarship I won made accommodations for me to record my acceptance speech on video rather than in person.

Vegan-Feminism also plays a large role in how my husband cares for me, especially while I’m experiencing debilitating pain. Some genres of feminism want a woman to take care of herself and not rely on anyone but herself. This is great in theory, but this ‘female empowerment’ makes us disabled women feel ashamed of our condition. Trust me, I would love to be able to take a shower on day two of my period by myself, but my husband has to physically hold me, or I’ll collapse. This form of ‘women’s independence’ doesn’t apply to me and a lot of other disabled women. Sometimes, we need to ask for help, and that’s okay. My husband is a Vegan-Feminist, so he believes in helping all beings reduce their suffering (with a focus on women and animals). This means he goes above and beyond to care for my every need during flare-ups. He cleans the house, cooks all the meals, gives me massages, helps me shower, and everything else to make my life easier. He also makes a point to advocate for my health and wellness by shutting down inappropriate conversations about my health with others.

To learn how to have a fully Vegan-Feminist period or survive endometriosis flare-ups the Vegan-Feminist way, head over to my guide titled “How to Have a Vegan-Feminist Period.”

Oh, and take care of yourself! I love you.