When "Powering Through" Isn't Enough
Navigating Endometriosis as a Professional
For years, I ran my life like a to-do list I refused to fall behind on. Push through, catch up later, don't let anyone see the cracks. 7 days a week. That's what "professional" meant to me. So when my body started disrupting the plan — badly — I didn't think "something is wrong." I thought, "I need to try harder." On top of it all, I already worked at an advertising agency in Berlin, which required 10- to 12-hour workdays. Trying harder hit a totally new dimension.
That's the trap. And if you're a high performer dealing with cyclical pain that nobody can quite explain, I want to gently interrupt whatever story you're telling yourself about it, because I told myself the same one for over a decade.
It's not just "bad period pain"
And to figure that out, it took a bit. The facts: Endometriosis affects roughly 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, and yet most of us spend years being told it's normal. It isn't. It happens when tissue similar to the uterine lining starts growing outside the uterus — and unlike the lining that's supposed to be there, this tissue has nowhere to go. It swells, it sheds, it has no exit. What's left behind is chronic inflammation, scarring, and pain that doesn't stay in your pelvis — it climbs into your focus, your patience, your ability to just function.
Some of what that actually looks like, day to day:
The exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix. Your body is fighting a low-grade war internally, and that costs energy — the kind that's supposed to go toward decisions, deadlines, and just being present.
Pain that shows up uninvited. During a workout, on the toilet, or in bed with a partner. It's disruptive in a way that's hard to explain to someone who's never felt it, so most of us just... stop talking about it.
Years of not knowing. Plenty of people only get diagnosed after a fertility struggle sends them looking for answers — meaning many of us are living with this, unnamed for a decade or more. I was one of them.
Trust what your body is telling you
I know what it's like to feel like your symptoms are "too much" — too vague to bring to a doctor, too inconvenient to bring to work, too easy for other people to wave off with "periods are just like that." They're not. Your pain is real information, even before anyone else confirms it on a scan.
The frustrating part is that actually getting confirmed is its own battle — a definitive diagnosis usually means a laparoscopy, a surgical procedure to see what's really going on. That's a lot to ask of someone who's already exhausted just getting through the week.
So here's what I'd tell you, coach to human, not client consultant:
Track it, don't just push through it. Write down what you're feeling and when — pain, fatigue, mood, cycle timing. It sounds small, but a pattern on paper is so much harder for anyone to dismiss than "I just feel off sometimes."
If a doctor minimizes you, that's on them — not you. I spent years being told to try a certain diet (it must be the gluten), relax, and try pilates or yoga. On that note again, yes, it can help to deal with symptoms, but it’s not the cure. If your practitioner isn't really hearing you, you're allowed to find someone who will. That's not being difficult. That's advocating for yourself.
You don't have to accept pain as your baseline. I did for way too long. There are real options — surgical, hormonal, lifestyle — that can change your day-to-day, even without a full cure existing yet. You deserve to actually feel better, not just "manage."
This isn't a soft skill — it's the foundation
We love to talk about wellness like it's a nice-to-have, something you fit in around your real life. But when you're living with a chronic condition, your health is the infrastructure everything else is built on. You can't lead, create, or show up the way you want to if you're spending all your energy just getting through the day.
So don't let years pass the way I let years pass. Notice the signs. Ask the annoying follow-up questions. Put yourself back on the list of things worth taking care of.
How are you navigating this while still trying to build the career and life you want? I'd love to hear it — this conversation needs more honesty in it, not less.
Disclaimer: This blog post draws on current medical information, including summaries from Apotheken Umschau, and is for educational purposes only. It isn't a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — always talk to your physician.
