Written by Sophie Little
When Monika asked if I’d like to write a blog for her website, I said yes instantly. But when I sat down to write, I felt paralyzed by where to begin. I realised the only place to start was with a plea I’ve learned the hard way: advocate for your own health, because no one else will.
I’m currently £6,000 deep in debt from private gastroenterologists, endless procedures, and mountains of prescriptions. Just recently, I spent another £350 on a test, a test for something I hadn’t even considered ten weeks ago: Endometriosis.
I’ve never struggled with periods in the way my friends describe. I’ve had the “curl up on the couch” days, but never the debilitating agony or heavy flows. My symptoms have always been gastrointestinal (GI). Since 2014, I’ve been fobbed off with an “IBS” diagnosis that never sat right with me. I have a healthy diet, I exercise, I sleep well yet I suffered from severe bloating, chronic constipation, and abdominal pain. My medical file reads like a GI textbook: colonoscopies, MRIs of the small intestine, SIBO tests, and endless bowel motility drugs.1
The Turning Point: My Placement
If I hadn’t been matched to Dr. Monika Gostic’s Endometriosis placement, I might still be spiraling in the “IBS” trap.
When I read the project brief and saw that 1 in 10 women suffer from this chronic disease, and that it takes nearly a decade to get a diagnosis, I was enraged. I knew I had to make a difference. But I didn’t realise that in the process of researching for others, I was researching for myself.
For the last ten weeks, I’ve been immersed in the science of Endometriosis to build a better support system. I’ve read books by world-renowned surgeons, listened to over 30 podcasts, obsessed over biological mechanisms, and designed a comprehensive survey to capture the real-world experiences of women.
It was during this deep dive that the “aha” moment struck. I learned that Endometriosis doesn’t just stay in the pelvis, it can attach to the outside of the intestines. I discovered that standard colonoscopies and MRIs often miss this unless the radiologist is a highly skilled specialist.
As I drafted lessons on diagnosis and treatment, I came across a groundbreaking, non-invasive pilot test called EndoSure. It was the missing piece of my personal puzzle. I wasn’t just working on an educational course; I was uncovering the answer to my own decade-long mystery. Because of this placement, I’ve finally booked the test. If it gives me my sanity back, it will be worth every penny of that £350.
Bridging the Gap: What We’re Building
This journey of discovery has heavily influenced the work I’ve been doing for Dr. Monika Gostic Nutrition Ltd. We aren’t just creating a “course”; we are building a comprehensive education ecosystem.
To ensure our educational resources truly reflect the lived experience of our community, we are currently collecting insights through an anonymous survey. If you are comfortable, please share your journey and priorities with us by taking our Endometriosis Community Survey. Your input is invaluable in shaping the course content.
While working on the Endometriosis – Bridging the Knowledge Gap project, I’ve been helping to translate complex evidence into a structured pathway that guides women from that initial “IBS” confusion to true understanding and symptom management.
Our upcoming resources are designed to bridge the gap between medical research and real-world implementation, focusing on:
- A Holistic Learning Pathway: Modules that move beyond just “managing symptoms,” covering nutrition, inflammation, gut health, nervous system regulation, and behaviour change.
- Practical Resource Libraries: We are finalising educational handouts, infographics, and symptom-management guides that help women advocate for themselves with GPs and employers, resources I wish I had five years ago.
- Digital Health Tools: We’ve analysed the landscape of digital support to ensure our tools provide actionable insights rather than just tracking data, creating a platform that is actually useful for managing flare-ups and daily life.
I’m currently putting the final touches on these educational packs, ensuring that the course content, covering everything from pelvic floor physiotherapy to navigating the NHS referral system, is as accessible and supportive as possible.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll share how the EndoSure test went and what the results finally reveal.
Sophie Little: Aspiring Nutritional Scientist and currently studying a Masters in Clinical Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen. Passionate about food sustainability, renewable energy and saving people & planet! 
LinkedIn profile: Sophie Little
External references:
NICE: Endometriosis diagnosis and management
Leave a reply