Happy May! Mother’s day kicks off graduation season, which means summer is JUST around the corner. If you are new here, welcome! If you are a member of the community, ask someone that wants to work on their finances to join this newsletter💸. Anybody that signs up for the newsletter gets a free copy of my toolkit!

We have covered emergency funds in High Yield Savings Accounts (HYSA) in previous newsletters. We also covered the $2 rule, a quick, easy, and accessible approach to work on personal finances TODAY. 

May has been a little much for my household. However, I have made a commitment to my business and I will send a newsletter monthly.  Today’s topic, endometriosis! The majority of clients I have helped are women and my mission for this business is to teach every woman and their ally’s the rules to build generational wealth. If you are reading this newsletter you know the patriarchy is entrenched in our daily lives.

Women are disproportionately gaslighted by the medical system every day. Many of us have heard phrases like: All your labs are normal, so there is nothing wrong. Periods are sometimes painful, it is normal to have pain. Have you tried losing weight? 

Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which endometrial tissue (the lining that forms in your uterus every month) grows outside of its usual location. Here are two articles(article 1 and article 2) for those who are curious. If while reading the article a person comes to mind, please send them the article. 

My journey with endometriosis started probably when I was a teen, but in March 2024 I was officially diagnosed with stage 4. By now I have had abdominal pain for about a year with an acute episode in the summer of 2023. Symptoms that took me a while to link were fatigue, back pain, and gastrointestinal discomfort regardless of what I ate. I really didn’t think of endometriosis as a possibility, as I was on long term birth control (Mirena). If you have felt like this, I understand your pain. Please keep advocating for yourself. You know yourself best, and if your doctor doesn't listen to your concerns, find a doctor who does. 

I read a shocking statistic while I digged into the literature. It takes 7-10 years on average for a woman to get an endometriosis diagnosis. That is 7-10 years of monthly pain (one of many sources). If you are familiar with the spoon theory, that is a lot of fucking spoons for pain management alone. Those are spoons that could have been dedicated to your love ones, your job, your hobbies, your life.

Outside of mental and physical drain, pain management has a monetary cost. According to one study in Australia, between $16,970 to $20,898 are lost due to indirect costs regarding labor productivity (such as absenteeism, short-term disability, and long-term disability).Another study based on US data, found that endometriosis patients incurred significantly higher healthcare costs in the first year post-diagnosis compared to patient controls (average of $10,000). 

1. Next time someone tries to gaslight you on the medical issues and their financial implications, you are now prepared with the facts. Information is power.
2. If you want to contribute monetarily, donate to your local planned parenthood, as hormonal birth control is one of the most common treatments. 
3. Send this newsletter to a loved one. The more awareness, the better for every woman.