Excision surgery often sits just out of reach in endometriosis care, and Nicole Notar explains why. Insurance barriers, outdated coding, and persistent misconceptions turn a medically necessary procedure into something patients must fight for or fund themselves. Who pays the price when effective care is delayed?

Callie Greenberg talks with Nicole about years of being dismissed with labels like anxiety and IBS before real answers finally came. After exhausting in-network options, Nicole paid out of pocket for excision surgery and discovered widespread disease across multiple organs. That moment confirmed what had long been overlooked and exposed how access to care too often depends on persistence and finances rather than medical need.

Out of that experience, Nicole founded Endo Excision For All, a nonprofit focused on helping patients access excision surgery now while pushing for policy change around insurance, reimbursement, and disability recognition. The episode also breaks down the hidden financial realities of endometriosis care and offers practical guidance for navigating billing and coverage. Real progress will require systems that treat endometriosis as the complex, full-body disease it is.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Endo Warriors Intro: Endometriosis And Women’s Health

00:45 Nicole Notar And The Endo Excision For All Nonprofit

01:38 Endometriosis Misdiagnosis: IBS, Anxiety, And Dismissed Pain

10:18 Choosing Excision Surgery After Insurance Denial

12:06 Excision Surgery Findings: Endometriosis Across Multiple Organs

16:41 Why Excision Surgery Is Expensive: Insurance And Coding Barriers

18:41 Policy Change For Endometriosis: ADA, FMLA, And Disability Access

19:59 Excision Surgery Vs Ablation: What Patients Need To Know

39:48 Surgery Billing Reality: Surprise Costs And Insurance Gaps

50:20 Endometriosis Advocacy: Capitol Hill Day And How To Get Involved

Connect with Callie Greenberg:

Visit the Own My Endo website

Follow Endo Warriors on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

The reason so many women are dismissed when they report severe period pain has less to do with their bodies and more to do with how medicine was built. Callie Greenberg digs into that reality with OB-GYN and former NIH-funded researcher Dr. Margo Harrison in a conversation about menstrual pain, endometriosis, and why symptoms that disrupt daily life are still treated as normal in women’s health care.

From her experience in academic medicine and clinical practice, Dr. Harrison explains how period suffering became something people expect rather than question. There was one moment from her practice that stayed with her. A patient said that an abortion procedure hurt less than her period. That reaction isn’t shocking to many listeners. Callie connects it to what she hears again and again from the endometriosis community, where normal scans often lead to dismissal instead of answers.

They take a closer look at what’s behind that pattern. Gaps in menstrual education, cultural silence, and limited research leave many patients unsure whether to trust their own experiences. Endometriosis comes into focus as they talk through diagnostic limits, invasive and expensive treatment options, and insurance barriers that make care hard to access.

The episode also offers practical guidance on self-advocacy. Dr. Harrison encourages patients to bring clear information to appointments, including bleeding patterns, pain locations, and how symptoms affect work, school, and relationships. If your period interferes with your life, it isn’t normal. The conversation wraps up by talking about prevention-focused, cycle-based care, and why understanding your menstrual cycle can help you make better decisions about your health long-term.

Episode Breakdown:

00:30 Meet Dr. Margo Harrison: OB-GYN, Planned Parenthood Clinician, And Founder Of Wave By

03:30 The Wake-Up Call: “My Abortion Was Less Painful Than My Period”

05:00 Why Severe Menstrual Pain Gets Dismissed In Women’s Health

09:30 Endometriosis Reality Check: Limited Diagnostics, Treatments, And High Costs

15:30 How To Advocate At The Gynecologist With Clear Data And Symptoms

24:00 Prevention-First Menstrual Pain Relief And Premenstrual NSAIDs

28:30 Wave By Explained: Cycle Regulation, PCOS Support, And Period Pain Options

37:30 Why Menstrual Suffering Was Normalized And What Must Change Next

Connect with Callie Greenberg:

Visit the Own My Endo website

Follow Endo Warriors on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Before listening, please note that this episode includes discussion of pregnancy loss and child loss. These topics can be deeply personal, so take care of yourself as you listen and feel free to pause, skip, or come back when it feels right for you.

Endometriosis does not always show up as pelvic pain. For many women, it looks like years of unexplained symptoms, quiet self-doubt, and being told everything is fine when it clearly is not. When Rachael Cohen shared her story in a viral post about missed diagnoses, infertility, and ultimately pursuing excision surgery, it resonated because it named what so many experience but struggle to explain.

In this episode, Callie Greenberg sits with Rachael to talk through nearly a decade of chronic gastrointestinal pain, pregnancy loss, IVF, and the long road to an endometriosis diagnosis. They reflect on how often women are asked to normalize extreme discomfort, trust reassurance over instinct, and keep going without answers. What happens when your body keeps asking for help and the system keeps missing the point?

The conversation also explores advocacy and the moment when waiting is no longer an option. Rachael shares what it took to push forward toward excision surgery, and why being believed mattered as much as the diagnosis itself. It highlights what it means to keep advocating for yourself when certainty feels out of reach.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Content Note: Pregnancy Loss and Child Loss

02:51 Viral Instagram Story and Sharing an Endometriosis Diagnosis

04:45 Chronic GI Pain for a Decade and Missed Endometriosis Symptoms

09:21 Miscarriage, Triploidy, and the Shock of No Heartbeat

11:09 Partial Molar Pregnancy and HCG Monitoring Fear

17:05 IVF After Loss and Chemical Pregnancy Confusion

20:17 Endometriosis With GI Symptoms and the “Silent Endometriosis” Myth

27:10 Excision Surgery Planning and Why Endometriosis Specialists Matter

30:23 Emergency Room Admission and Excision Surgery Confirmation

38:03 IVF Isolation, Endometriosis Grief, and Finding Community

53:15 “What If Someone Had Believed Me”: Endometriosis Advocacy and Next Steps

Connect with Rachael Cohen:

Follow Rachael on Instagram

Connect with Callie Greenberg:

Visit the Own My Endo website

Follow Endo Warriors on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm