I didn’t realize it at the time, but the way I was treated by doctors was hugely retraumatizing. Medics, who were convinced I simply kept contracting STIs which landed me in hospital, subjected me to countless cervical exams, internal ultrasounds and other incredibly invasive procedures that are painful and distressing for a sexual assault survivor. They didn’t know I was one, of course, because they didn’t ask — which is exactly the point being made by the authors of a new study from Yale University. The study has found that there could be a link between trauma and the development of endometriosis, and the study’s authors say it means we urgently need more trauma-informed care for those who suffer from the debilitating disease.
