I’m An Athlete With Endometriosis — Here’s How I Keep Competing Through The Pain

Brittany Brown ran the 200m race of her life to qualify for the Paris 2024 games, clocking a personal best at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. And this week, she solidified her track-star status on the ultimate world stage, speeding to the finish in 22.20 seconds — and scoring the bronze medal at the Paris games. But the American sprinter hasn’t had the smoothest run to the top: Not only did she have to overcome a recent injury to achieve her dreams, she’s also had to compete while dealing with severe pain from another cause, endometriosis.

A chronic disease, endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. This tissue can swell and bleed during menstruation, create scar tissue in the pelvic region, as well as cysts (from blood that gets trapped in the ovaries), and also cause a crapload of physical and mental pain. It’s estimated that 10 to 15% of reproductive-aged people with uteruses are affected by endometriosis, but the condition is under-discussed, understudied, and underdiagnosed across the board, particularly in racialized women. The exact cause of endo is unknown, and there is no known cure, so treatments are usually geared toward easing symptoms.

Brown started to experience debilitating cramping during her period almost 10 years ago, but it wasn’t until last year — and many false starts — that she was finally given an endo diagnosis. “For a long time, my body was talking to me, but I wasn’t listening,” she says. Brown is one of the few Olympic athletes to talk openly about her #EndoWarrior status. 

In an interview shortly before flying out to the Paris Olympics, Brown chatted with Refinery29 about managing pain and busting stigma, one exposed tampon at a time. 

My story is that I don’t have all of the typical accolades. I didn’t have all the “right things” or the “right path” to my end goal. I didn’t go to a big track school; I only made it to state championships once, and I didn’t win. I wasn’t signed to a shoe contract in my first year of running professional track, which is what a lot of people consider to be the standard for being a professional runner. But I was still able to reach for my dreams. 

I think it’s a story that a lot of people can relate to — not only those in the track world, but also just anyone who is going after something. A lot of people in track have been doing this since they were a lot younger. Their parents saw they were fast, and they put them in this special program and hired this special coach. I didn’t have that. I’m one of four siblings — Brandi, Brittany, Brandon, Bryan. My sister went to college on a basketball scholarship, and that’s why I got into track — I just wanted to get school paid for. And then somewhere along the way I started realizing, I’m really good at this. I just hadn’t really been in an environment to cultivate that success. I think a lot of people relate to the kind of adversity I experienced. 

I wasn’t actually diagnosed until early 2023, but I knew something was wrong a lot earlier. I think it was my second year of college. I was doing a super intense workout, and I was on my period, and afterwards it was just an unbelievable amount of pain. Like, I was in the bathroom crying and shaking and actually throwing up. 

My teammates had to help me and the whole time I’m thinking, I don’t think my period is supposed to feel like this. I don’t think this is normal. I started to see doctors, and I got the same answers that so many women get: “Oh, just go on birth control — just stop your period,” or “oh, just have a baby,” or “just have a hysterectomy.” I called my mom crying after that one.

I was 26 at that time. I do want to have children, but not yet. And this whole idea that giving birth will get rid of the pain caused by endometriosis is not true. It comes back, and you still have to deal with the lesions and the pain. There is so much to navigate, and still a lot of doctors don’t know a lot about endo. The more I learned, the more you realize how much you have to be your own advocate. 

I have joined an endo group chat, and it has been so amazing to have this community of women who share their experiences on medical issues, like which doctors are good, and which treatments have been effective. But it’s also: how to stand up for yourself, how to make sure you’re not dismissed, that it’s okay to listen to your body. I hope, by sharing my story, I can give other women that confidence. For a long time, my body was talking to me, and I kept thinking, I’m fine, I’m strong, I can do this, I don’t want to be too emotional, which is something women hear all the time. 

I think that when we talk about pain, Black women have always been told that we have a high pain threshold and we can handle it, so that dismissal that affects women’s health issues in general is that much more extreme. I have connected with other Black women in the endo space who feel like they have to be that much more cautious. It starts with period pain, but this is also about concerns to do with childbirth and the possibility of surgery. 

Definitely. Look at how we are taught about menstruation at school: Call it a period; don’t talk about it; keep your tampon in your pocket when you’re going to the bathroom because it’s a secret. Recently, I was walking around with my tampon in my hand — I don’t care who sees it. When I first went to pelvic floor therapy, I was learning the terminology — vulva, that sort of thing — and it was like, damn, why don’t I know about this already? 

That is definitely a huge part of it. Even before I had a diagnosis, I have been big into meditation. I try to go for a walk every morning, to avoid social media, and to be very intentional about my environments. Stress is a huge trigger for endo pain. I had asthma as a kid, and one thing we learned is that when you’re having an asthma attack, the worst thing you can do is to freak out, and the same thing is true with endo flare-ups. 

Not to point out the obvious, but competing in the Olympics isn’t exactly a low-stress job.

Ha! I know. I know! This disease is very contradictory to my job. There have been races where I have competed through a lot of pain, but I try to focus on the reasons to be grateful. A lot of women with endo aren’t even able to work out or do anything physical, and here I am. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a job that was less physical, but that’s not my life right now.  

I bring my turtle with me everywhere — my boyfriend bought him for me.

Oh, no, he’s a stuffed animal. His name is Mr. Clementine. I bring him. I bring my journal, which is an important part of my pain management. Oh, and my heating pad. Any endo girlie knows that you need that heating pad.  

After the race, I’ll have a couple of days. And my family will be there, so I’m excited to do some sightseeing. For my mom and my granny, this will be their first time out of the U.S., so that’s pretty amazing. I’ll probably sit at a cafe somewhere and write in my journal. I love to people-watch, and then make up stories about them and what their lives are like. 

Ha! I know. I love it.