For decades, Gloria Steinem encouraged women to speak openly about their experiences, challenge assumptions, and recognize the power of knowing they were not alone.
Steinem, who died in September 2026 at age 92, was a journalist, author, organizer, and one of the most influential figures in the modern women’s movement. She co-founded Ms. magazine and spent much of her life advocating for women’s equality, reproductive freedom, and the importance of women’s voices being heard.
Gloria Steinem was not known to have endometriosis, nor was endometriosis the focus of her life’s work. Yet one idea she repeatedly emphasized has particular meaning for people living with a condition that can be difficult to recognize and explain: tell your story.
“Telling Each Other Our Stories”
On her official website, Steinem offered this advice to feminists and organizers:
“Telling each other our stories is the single most revolutionary act in every way…change comes from telling the truth and knowing that you’re not alone.”
The quotation is authentic and appears on Steinem’s official website.
For the endometriosis community, those words can carry a different but powerful meaning.
Endometriosis symptoms can be deeply personal. Painful periods, pelvic pain, pain during sex, bowel or urinary symptoms, and difficulties with fertility are not always easy to discuss.
Sharing those experiences does not diagnose endometriosis. But talking about symptoms can help people recognize that what they are experiencing deserves attention.
Why Being Heard Matters With Endometriosis
One of the challenges surrounding endometriosis is that symptoms can overlap with other conditions and can vary considerably from one person to another.
Some people may spend years thinking severe menstrual pain is simply something they are expected to tolerate. Others may seek help for bowel, bladder, or pelvic symptoms without initially realizing that the symptoms could be connected.
This is where telling the complete story matters.
When symptoms occur, how they change around the menstrual cycle, where the pain occurs, how long it has been happening, and how it affects everyday life can all provide useful information during a medical evaluation.
A patient’s story is not separate from medicine. It is part of the clinical picture.
The Power of Knowing You Are Not Alone
Steinem frequently emphasized how sharing experiences can help people realize they are not alone. That principle has particular relevance to endometriosis.
Hearing another person’s experience may be what prompts someone to recognize that missing work every month because of pain deserves attention. A discussion about painful bowel movements during menstruation may encourage another person to mention a symptom they had never thought to discuss with their doctor.
These stories should never replace medical evidence or professional evaluation of an especialista en endometriosis. But they can help people find the language and confidence to talk about their symptoms.
Dr. Pankaj Singhal similarly emphasizes patient self-advocacy:
“Be your best advocate. Don’t take no for an answer. If someone is not listening, they’re not the right physician for you.”
From Telling Your Story to Finding Answers
Being heard is an important beginning, but the next step is determining what may actually be causing the symptoms.
Endometriosis cannot be diagnosed from another person’s experience or from symptoms alone. Evaluation may involve a detailed medical history, physical examination, imaging, and consideration of other conditions that can produce similar symptoms.
The objective is not to make every story fit an endometriosis diagnosis. It is to listen carefully enough to determine what should be investigated next.
That distinction matters. Sometimes the answer is endometriosis. Sometimes it is another condition. In either case, persistent symptoms deserve thoughtful evaluation rather than assumptions.
A Message That Continues
In one of Steinem’s final recorded interviews, filmed before her death and released afterward, she returned once again to the importance of personal stories. Her message to the next generation included a simple request:
“Please tell your own story.”
She described storytelling as a way of knowing and understanding one another.
For people affected by endometriosis, that message remains relevant.
Tell your doctor where it hurts. Tell them when it happens. Tell them what happens during your period. Mention the bowel symptom you thought was unrelated, the pain during sex you were uncomfortable discussing, or the days when symptoms interfere with work, school, relationships, or everyday activities.
Your story may not provide the diagnosis by itself.
But it can be where the search for an answer begins.
When Your Symptoms Deserve to Be Heard
Gloria Steinem spent decades encouraging women to tell the truth about their experiences and to listen to one another. Her work was not about endometriosis specifically, but that principle has lasting relevance for a community in which sharing symptoms and experiences can help others recognize when it may be time to seek answers.
En New York Gynecology Surgery & Endometriosis (NYGSE), we look at the complete pattern of a patient’s symptoms and medical history to determine whether endometriosis may be contributing and whether further evaluation is appropriate.
Referencias
Associated Press. (2026, September 4). Gloria Steinem, defining symbol of women’s movement and eloquent advocate for equality, dies at 92. https://apnews.com/article/724836935f6547fda60f361c15238d14
Brown, T. (2026, September 3). Gloria Steinem’s message for the next generation: “Please tell your own story.” Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2026-09-03/gloria-steinem-famous-last-words-netflix
Brown, T. (2026, September 5). Gloria Steinem, the Playboy Mansion and the power of women’s stories. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2026-09-05/gloria-steinem-playboy-bunny
Steinem, G. (n.d.). FAQ. Gloria Steinem. https://www.gloriasteinem.com/faqpage-2
