Lara Parker: Community Advisor, Author, and Endo Warrior

As a young girl I struggled for years to find an explanation for the monthly pain I was experiencing. I constantly felt a searing heaviness in my abdomen that I knew couldn’t be normal, but convinced myself it was anyway. I so desperately wanted a reason for the pain I felt in my body, I often dreamt of the day a doctor would look me in the eyes and say, “Ah-Ha! This is what it is, we have found the source of your pain!” Of course, I naively assumed that any diagnosis would also come with a solution. 

Ultimately, it took me just over five years to get my diagnosis for endometriosis, a disease that impacts 1 in 10 women, or around 200 million people worldwide. And although those five years felt excruciatingly long, it’s not remotely uncommon. The average wait time for a diagnosis for this (incredibly common) condition is seven years for white women, and around 10 years for black women or women of color. And if you’re one of the so-called “lucky” ones to receive a confirmed diagnosis, the journey is far from over. The treatment options available for endometriosis aren’t accessible to every person living with this disease. And the lack of knowledge of many medical professionals (and society as a whole) in regards to endometriosis — like with many diseases that impact primarily women — is ruining people’s lives. 

While I am hopeful this will change in my lifetime; the fact of the matter is that we still know very little about a condition that impacts so many people around the world. Many people who live with this condition are forced to figure it out, largely on their own, and hope to find something that at least mitigates the discomfort in some way. I was the same way. And I was grateful to discover Elix. I say this often — because I think it’s important to be honest about the fight we can be up against when it comes to this condition — but the herbs I take from Elix monthly are not a cure for my endometriosis, nor are they trying to be one. But they are a vital tool, and it's a tool that I was able to add to my warehouse to help me find a way to live with endometriosis more comfortably. After years, and I mean years, of trying to find something that worked for me, I was grateful to find something that helped.

I am excited to partner with Elix to focus specifically on endometriosis and those of us who live with it — who often feel largely forgotten in a world that has ignored our pain for so long. We’re not here to promise you a complete cure, or tell you that you’re living your life the wrong way. We’re here to tell you that you are not alone, that your pain is valid, and that we are going to do everything we can to help you. Whether that means upcoming blogs around how to discuss a possible diagnosis with your doctors, making sure you feel even just a little bit more educated about what may be happening in your own body, or just creating a space for you to finally feel heard, we are committed to upholding this part of our community. So if there’s something you would love to see us cover, or discuss, don’t hesitate to let us know. And until then, thank you for being here. And for showing up every single day, despite all the pain and suffering. We see you, and we are here.

Elix is here to support you every cycle of your journey to menstrual wellness. Take our Health Assessment and discover your personalized herbal formula to address your worst menstrual symptoms and heal from within.