How Endometriosis Shapes Daily Life, Mental Health, and Fertility Across Every Stage
What if the symptoms you’ve been told to ignore—painful periods, digestive issues, fatigue, or anxiety—were all connected? In this episode of The Endo Exchange, we explore how endometriosis impacts far more than physical health, affecting identity, relationships, career paths, and long-term well-being.
This multidisciplinary conversation brings together perspectives from surgery, integrative medicine, and mental health to better understand how endometriosis evolves over time—and why whole-person care is essential.
Featuring:
- Dr. Karli Provost Goldstein, DO, FACOG: Founder of ESSE Care and board-certified endometriosis surgeon, Dr. Goldstein shares how symptoms often begin in adolescence, why diagnosis is frequently delayed, and how excision surgery fits into a larger, collaborative care model that supports both physical and long-term outcomes.
- Dr. Mary Sabo, DACM: Doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine and founder of Lily + Horn, Dr. Sabo explains how endometriosis affects the nervous system, sleep, digestion, and inflammation—and how integrative therapies can help regulate the body and support healing before and after surgery.
- Batya Novick, LCSW: Reproductive mental health therapist and founder of Calla Collective, Batia discusses the emotional impact of endometriosis, including anxiety, body mistrust, fertility stress, and the importance of rebuilding a sense of control and connection throughout the care journey.
What You’ll Learn:
- Early Signs Matter: Why severe period pain is not normal and how early symptoms are often dismissed, leading to delayed diagnosis.
- The Nervous System Connection: How chronic pain affects sleep, digestion, and stress response, and why regulating the nervous system is a key part of care.
- The Emotional Impact: How endometriosis can influence identity, relationships, and mental health, and why emotional support is essential.
- Fertility and Delayed Diagnosis: Why many patients are only diagnosed after years of unexplained infertility or unsuccessful treatments.
- Multidisciplinary Care in Action: How combining surgical, integrative, and mental health support leads to more complete and effective care.
This Conversation Is for You If:
You’ve been told your symptoms are normal, but they continue to disrupt your daily life. If you’ve experienced painful periods, fatigue, digestive issues, or anxiety that seem connected but haven’t been fully explained.
It’s for you if you’ve been navigating fertility challenges without clear answers, or if you’ve felt dismissed by providers and are looking for a more comprehensive approach to care.
It’s also for you if you want to better understand how endometriosis affects the whole body, not just the reproductive system, and what it means to build a care team that supports every aspect of your health.
Endometriosis is not just a condition. It is an experience that can evolve over time and impact every part of life.
Your symptoms are valid. Your story matters. And with the right support, a more complete path to healing is possible.
