Endometriosis Awareness Month | Meet Naomi
Raising Voices, Sharing Strength: Naomi’s Endometriosis
Today, we’re honored to share Naomi’s journey with endometriosis, a condition that affects 1 in 10 women here in New Zealand, yet remains widely misunderstood. Naomi has lived with endometriosis since her early teens and has faced this challenging condition with strength and determination. Through her story, she hopes to raise awareness, offer support to others, and remind us all of the importance of listening to our bodies. We’re so grateful to Naomi for sharing her journey with the wider She Moves community.
Could you share a bit about your journey with endometriosis—how it started and what your experience has been like?
I started experiencing symptoms of endometriosis around age 13. This was back in 1993, a time when there wasn’t much awareness or acceptance of the condition within the medical community. It took nearly 10 years to finally get a diagnosis.
My symptoms were severe—extremely heavy periods lasting up to 10 days, debilitating pain that often caused fainting or vomiting, and hormonal migraines. These issues led to frequent absences from school and were compounded by a lack of understanding. Our family GP dismissed my pain as being “all in my head,” and many family and friends thought I was exaggerating or being dramatic by saying things like “period’s aren’t that bad”.
In my late teens and early 20s, I lived on painkillers and tried stopping my periods using the depo injection, which made no difference to my pain levels. I was lucky enough to get an appointment with a female Gynaecologist who was very knowledgeable about endometriosis. She had me in for a laparoscopy within a week and I was diagnosed with endometriosis.
How has endometriosis impacted your physical and mental health, particularly when it comes to exercise?
For me the mental aspect has been the biggest challenge particularly around the lack of understanding from others and being made to feel like it was all in my head in the years before being diagnosed.
Endometriosis also affects other things like fertility, which again is very hard on your mental health. I was very blessed to conceive my beautiful daughter on my first round of IVF and honestly if I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have mentally or physically coped with a second round. It is all very hard on your body, hormones cause bloating, weight fluctuation and generally you just feel like rubbish.
I have found exercise very difficult to consistently incorporate in my daily routine. On bad days, I can’t get off the couch and just want to crawl into a hole. On good days, sometimes I am not motivated to exercise at all or want to spend that time with my family. It's a bit of a catch 22 cycle to fall into and I know that consistent exercise is hugely beneficial, it's just getting my head into that space to make it happen.
Have you discovered any strategies or practices (including exercise) that help you manage your symptoms?
During my journey, I have learnt different strategies and practices that have helped in one way or another. It’s important to acknowledge that everyone is different and what works for one person, may not work for another. I think it's key to get in tune with your body and take your cues from there.
Some of the things that I have found beneficial are:
Gentle, consistent exercise: Not crazy HIIT workouts, but the more gentle stuff, such as: She Moves yoga, pilates, stretch, weights. When I consistently exercise, it does help reduce the severity of my symptoms. It doesn’t take them away, but it makes them more bearable.
Managing severe pain: On tough days, I find a gentle walk or just getting up and pacing around to be helpful. She Moves - Stretch is really good, particularly sessions that get into hip flexor’s, belly and lower back. Also heat/ice packs are a common go to for me and lose comfy clothing.
Lifestyle adjustments: I try to avoid things like alcohol, sugar, late nights, processed foods as these all flare symptoms for me. Hydration, I can’t stress how important this is.
Acceptance: I struggled with this for a long time but got to a place where I accepted that it is what it is. There is no fix, but I can have choice and control over what I do to manage it better and improve my quality of life. It doesn’t have to rule my life.
Listening to my body: I know when I’m heading to a hormonal migraine, or if I’m going to have a particularly painful period, my body gives me cues. So if it’s telling the family they are having toast for dinner, leaving that pile of washing/dishes, popping some Panadol and heading to bed with a heat back at 6pm, then that’s what happens.
Breastfeeding: For me while I was breastfeeding I had zero symptoms. It was AMAZING! It lasted for 6 months after I stopped feeding.
How has living with endometriosis shaped your relationships and what support has been most meaningful to you?
Endometriosis does impact your relationships, it can be hard for people to understand something they can’t physically see. We all understand a broken arm or a big gash, but things that are internal can be hard to understand.
Communicating with and educating friends and family is really helpful. I let my family know if I am having a bad day, it can be as simple as “hey guys my pain levels are 12 out of 10 and I’m feeling like collapsing, you're going to have to sort your own dinner, I’m heading to bed”.
I like to have pre-prepared freezer meals so they can heat and eat.
My relationship with the medical profession has been up and down. Some GP’s I have dealt with don’t know a lot about it or understand the condition, while others have a good understanding. For example a relatively new GP who suggested I go on hormone replacement therapy for perimenopausal symptoms without having that understanding of how estrogen affects endometriosis. It’s important to find a GP who gets it and to do your own research. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or question the advice you are being given. Endometriosis NZ is a fantastic organisation to tap into, with a wealth of knowledge and information.
Finding other women to talk to who have been through the process is another great form of support.
What message or advice would you like to share with others in the She Moves community who may be navigating their own endometriosis journey?
If you’re navigating your own endometriosis journey, here’s my advice:
Find a GP who truly understands and supports you.
Listen to your body and experiment with what works for you.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Talk to others going through similar experiences—it’s comforting to know you’re not alone.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself.
For more information and support, visit Endometriosis NZ 💛
Helpful links
Endometriosis NZ: Movement Plans
Endometriosis NZ Facebook Group
Women’s Health Action - Endometriosis
