Her Story: Surviving Endometriosis, Infertility, & The "Whiny Woman" Label with Amanda Martinez

Endometriosis, adenomyosis, infertility, and a messed up medical system—Amanda’s story is a heavy one, but it’s the reality for so many of us navigating the endo world.After eight surgeries (ablation and excision surgery) and the emotional rollercoaster of failed fertility treatments, Amanda finally opted for a hysterectomy. She bravely and candidly tells her story from cancer to cysts to endo, shedding so much light on what living with this disease actually looks like.In this episode, we get into the mindfuck of dealing with fertility issues and endometriosis. Despite specifically asking not to be there, Amanda was placed in the maternity ward post-hysterectomy, which apparently happens more often than you'd think. (Cruel, right?)Imagine trying to heal from losing your fertility while a chime plays over the loudspeaker every single time a baby is born. It’s a level of systemic negligence that is hard to wrap your head around.We’re talking about:Ablations & Bad Surgeries: Why burning endo tissue (ablation) is often a band-aid (kinda?) that causes more harm than good, and why you need to hold out for an excision specialist.The "Whiny Woman" Myth: Amanda opens up about being labeled a "difficult" or "whiny" patient by hospital staff and how that gaslighting and bias impacts recovery.The WTF Moment: Amanda shares an all-too-common experience of learning via the internet that her surgeon performed the wrong surgery for endo. We should be able to trust our surgeons over a Facebook group, yet that community was what led her to an actual endometriosis excision specialist.Finding Peace: How Amanda is finally sharing her story on her own terms and what her health looks like today.If you’ve ever been told that ablation was your only option, or if you’ve been told a hysterectomy is a "simple cure," this episode is for you. Amanda is living proof that we have to be our own loudest advocates.