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You suspect you may have endometriosis or adenomyosis

Is it normal to feel like you’re making up endometriosis symptoms?

Topic:Treatment Challenges
Affected areas:pelvicabdominalsystemic
An illustration of a woman sitting between a hospital bed and clipboard showing failed tests, all surrounded by a circle of arrows depicting a cycle.

Yes—this is incredibly common, and it usually happens because you’ve been living in a system where pelvic pain is often normalized, minimized, or explained away. When tests come back “normal,” or you’re told it’s stress/IBS/UTIs without a cohesive plan, it can start to feel like the problem must be you. Endometriosis symptoms can be wide-ranging and sometimes seem unrelated, which makes self-doubt even easier to fall into—especially if you’ve had years of mixed messages.


In our practice, one of the first goals is validation through clarity: we take your full story seriously, look for symptom patterns and flare timing, and evaluate for endometriosis along with common look-alike or coexisting conditions that can amplify pain (like pelvic floor dysfunction, central sensitization, GI imbalance, or vascular causes). Endometriosis can cause many symptoms, but it doesn’t explain everything—so we’re careful and specific about what fits, what doesn’t, and what to investigate next. If you’re stuck in the “maybe it’s nothing” loop, reach out to schedule a consultation so we can help make your symptoms clinically legible and build a real path forward.

You’re not imagining this.

When pain gets minimized or tests look “normal,” self-doubt is a common response—not a sign you’re making it up. Our endometriosis and adenomyosis specialists can connect the dots in your symptoms and build a clear plan for diagnosis and treatment.

Schedule a consult

Reach Out

Have a question?

Dr. Steven Vasilev delivers best-in-class endometriosis guidance and a personalized treatment plan—built on evidence and your unique biology.


Led by Steven Vasilev, MD—an internationally recognized endometriosis specialist & MIGS surgeon—Lotus Endometriosis Institute is virtual-forward, with many patients traveling nationally for care. Clinical evaluation and surgical treatment are provided in California.

Santa Monica, CA

2121 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Operating Hours

8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday - Friday

Arroyo Grande, CA

154 Traffic Way, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420