March Is Endometriosis Awareness Month
Endometriosis is among the most debilitating conditions in the country. It can cause severe pain in the abdominal region and impacts roughly 10 percent of women, seriously affecting a person’s quality of life.
We sat down with Sydney Rogers to learn about her experience battling (and overcoming) endometriosis with the help of her care team at Mount Auburn Hospital.
Sydney learned she had endometriosis at a young age, a diagnosis that profoundly altered nearly every aspect of her life. “It put up a barrier between me and the rest of my entire life,” she told us. “It impacted my education, socialization, and mental and physical health.”
Worse, there was no way for Sydney to mitigate the symptoms, giving the disease control over her life. “That caused me to cancel countless plans, such as family trips, fun nights with friends, and even going to school or into the office.”
Sydney also had to battle a general misunderstanding of endometriosis. “Many people I interacted with, including friends thought I was over exaggerating my pain,” she said. “I tried to compartmentalize and convince myself it wasn’t really that bad, but by doing that, I caused detrimental impacts to my mental and physical health.”
There is an astonishing lack of information among the public about the seriousness of endometriosis, Sydney shared, and this makes it difficult for people to get access to treatment. “At least half of the people I get close enough to share my experience with endometriosis haven’t even heard of the disease,” she told us. “If people don’t even know about the disease, how on earth are the people who struggle supposed to find solutions and support?”
Due to past experiences that were almost always fruitless, Sydney was skeptical when she first approached Dr. Malcolm Mackenzie at Mount Auburn Hospital. That changed almost instantly. “Dr. Mackenzie explained everything that was happening in my body.”
While she acknowledged that treatment should sometimes include medication, she was pleasantly surprised that Dr. Mackenzie explored a number of other treatment options in addition to medication. It was not uncommon for him to prescribe pelvic floor physical therapy and even surgery in some cases.
Sydney’s experience at Mount Auburn changed her life. “Before meeting Dr. Mackenzie and his team, I had a very low quality of life and did not envision much of a future,” she said. “Now, my world has opened up in a way I never thought possible. I see my future, and it’s bright with many joyous occasions on the horizon.”
Although Sydney has her life back, she remembers too well the pain endometriosis can cause. “No one knows how you are really feeling except for you,” she said. “Think about yourself as your best friend, and fight for that person like their life depended on it. You will continue to light the path for others on their journey to seeking help for endometriosis.”
Learn more about our endometriosis care options.
About Mount Auburn Hospital
Mount Auburn Hospital was founded in 1886. A teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, its mission is to provide clinically excellent care with compassion and to teach students of medicine and the health professions.
Mount Auburn Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a healthcare system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.
