Endometriosis is a complicated disease that affects more than 175 million women around the world. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows and metastasizes in other areas in the body. While it isn’t deadly, it hinders women’s lives and puts them through endless cycles of pain and complications that are often dismissed by medical professionals.

Despite its prevalence, endo remains under researched, underfunded and under reported compared to other diseases. Breast cancer, which affects 3.8 million women in the U.S. received over $3 billion in research funding over the past five years. Endo, on the other hand, affects more than 6.5 million women in the U.S. and received only $50 million over the same time period.

Endo doesn’t only affect cisgender women, but trans and non-binary people as well. There have also been a handful of rare cases of endo in men reported over the past three years. This project uses the term “women” when referring to endo patients because data doesn’t account for trans, non-binary people and men.

Navigating the healthcare system with endo can be emotionally and physically taxing. This choose-your-own-adventure experience will allow you to put yourself in the shoes of an endo patient to better understand their struggle. It’s an amalgamation of real stories of women who have been living with the disease for years. As you make your choices, you will hear firsthand accounts from different women.You can start over the experience as many times you'd like and explore different scenarios.