Many years later, when I was 27, an OB-GYN I was seeing told me, you might have something like endometriosis. To diagnose this, the doctor said they needed to do an invasive procedure called a laparoscopy. This is a keyhole operation where doctors look for endometrial tissue on the outer wall of the uterus and remove any found. The doctor thought I most likely didn’t have it, but if I wanted to double check they could go further.

Lo and behold, I had the procedure done and was diagnosed with endometriosis.

After the operation, I felt relief for about six months. But then the symptoms returned. Around the same time, I began experimenting with medical cannabis to help ease my seizures. About a year after I went off my epilepsy medication, I noticed that some of my endometriosis-related pain also went down.

So from that point on, I decided to try to take things into my own hands a little more and see how certain lifestyle habits could affect my symptoms. I became interested in acupuncture, herbs and yoga. I also started taking cannabinoids internally. As a result, I began to feel a deep sense of relief.

Now, I would be lying if I said that my symptoms are completely gone and I no longer have endometriosis. But I will say that the situation has improved significantly. Where I used to experience pain at a 10, now I’m closer to a 4—all thanks to natural interventions including nutrition, stress management, meditation, yoga, TCM, and the use of cannabis in its many forms. I also learned a lot about hormonal health and how much my choices affected my menstrual cycle.

In fact, this realization was the catalyst for starting Looni, my menstrual health company.