“It's Not Cramps...That's Not Normal”: A Qualitative Study on Endometriosis Diagnosis

This is a qualitative study, regarding women with the chronic pain condition endometriosis, utilizing in-depth interviews. Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition in which the tissue of the uterus is found outside the uterine cavern. This tissue leads to many symptoms that can affect a woman’s social, personal, and professional life. Guiding literature on the history of women’s health, validation through diagnosis, patient-provider relationships, social support, and dialogism in health communication were used to inform this research. A narrative analysis approach was used to analyze the findings which consisted of four narratives: manifestations of pain, social support, patient-provider communication and what diagnosis means.Keywords: endometriosis, diagnosis, dialogism, doctor-patient relationships, chronic pain, women’s health, gender