Endometriosis and adenomyosis can affect every part of a woman’s life — from chronic pain, inflammation, and digestion to mental health, fertility, body image, and daily wellbeing.
In this episode of Health Starts With Her, host Dr. Tara Shirazian sits down with Savannah Regensburger, clinical nutritionist, researcher, speaker, and Co-Founder of I Am Endometriosis, and Bai Ruskus, chef, best-selling author, activist, and Co-Founder of I Am Endometriosis, for an honest conversation about living with endometriosis, navigating medical dismissal, finding community, and using nutrition as a tool for support.
Together, they share their personal journeys with painful periods, delayed diagnosis, medical gaslighting, adenomyosis, fibroids, mental health challenges, inflammation, and the emotional toll of trying to advocate for care in a system that often overlooks women’s pain.
This conversation explores the questions so many women are asking:
• What are the early signs of endometriosis?
• Why are painful periods so often dismissed as “normal”?
• How can endometriosis affect mental health?
• What is the connection between endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, and inflammation?
• Why can diagnosis be validating — and also emotionally overwhelming?
• How can nutrition support women living with endometriosis?
• What does it mean to advocate for yourself in the medical system?
• Why does community matter so much when living with a chronic condition?
Endometriosis is complex, isolating, and often misunderstood — but women deserve answers, support, and care that sees the full picture.
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Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Special thank you to the organizations helping support conversations about women’s health:
CooperSurgical: https://www.coopersurgical.com/
CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s healthcare company dedicated to putting time on the side of women, babies, and families at the healthcare moments that matter most in life.
Cerene Endometrial Cryotherapy: https://www.cerene.com/ALTEVA RCM: https://www.altevarcm.com/ALTEVA works side-by-side with physicians and healthcare groups to improve financial outcomes, reduce administrative burden, and create smarter revenue strategies in an increasingly difficult payer environment. Their mission is simple: support providers, protect patients, and help independent practices grow with confidence⸻Stay Connected:Subscribe to our email newsletter so you never miss an episode:https://healthstartswithher.comSubscribe for more conversations on women’s health, including fertility, hormones, fibroids, PCOS, and reproductive health.Follow us on Instagram:@drshirazian@healthstartswithher⸻Chapters:01:46 First Symptoms of Endometriosis05:21 Painful Periods at a Young Age09:57 Growing Up With Chronic Pain14:37 Feeling Dismissed by the Medical System16:41 Medical Trauma and Losing Trust19:25 Why Medicine Is Slow to Change22:29 Getting an Endometriosis Diagnosis26:20 The Emotional Weight of Diagnosis26:55 Silent Endometriosis and Infertility28:16 Advocacy, Education, and Patient Power29:07 Endometriosis and Coexisting Conditions29:43 Adenomyosis and Understanding Symptoms32:26 Breakthrough Moments35:20 Advice for Women Newly Diagnosed37:37 Why Community Matters38:27 Fibroids and Other Coexisting Conditions40:33 Nutrition, Inflammation, and Endometriosis42:24 Simplifying Food and Healing44:35 Final Thoughts44:50 Closing Message
