Endometriosis Awareness Month: From provider to patient

DENVER, Colo. — For Allison Swinehart, PA-C, caring for patients with endometriosis at AdventHealth Porter is more than part of her job, it’s personal.

Allison is a surgical physician assistant with AdventHealth Medical Group Complex Gynecology and Surgery at Porter and at Lone Tree, where she works closely with gynecologic surgeon Olga Muldoon, MD.

Together they care for patients experiencing endometriosis and fertility challenges. But long before joining the team, Allison was experiencing many of the same symptoms her patients describe to her today.

“I think I really started to know something wasn’t right in high school, but definitely by the time I got to college,” Allison said. “I had friends who had cramps with their periods, but mine just seemed extreme.”

By PA school, the pain had intensified.

“I remember having to live on ibuprofen just to get through classes and labs,” Allison said. “By the time I was 26, even without knowing what I know now, I was pretty confident I had endometriosis.”

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, often causing severe pelvic pain and sometimes fertility challenges.

“Endometriosis can take years to diagnose,” Dr. Muldoon said. “Patients may have ongoing pain or fertility challenges but still question whether something is truly wrong.”

When Allison eventually underwent surgery, the diagnosis confirmed Stage 4 endometriosis, the most advanced stage of the disease.

“Finding out I had endometriosis was a strange mix of grieving and relief,” she said. “It can be incredibly validating to learn that you are not crazy and that not everyone else feels like this during their periods.”

Becoming a patient herself gave Allison a new perspective on the work she does every day.

“As a health care professional, it gave me an extra layer of empathy,” she said. “I’ve always had a heart for our endometriosis and fertility patients, but being a member of this terrible club increased that understanding to another level.”

When Allison chose Dr. Muldoon to perform her surgery, the situation was unique for both provider and patient.

“As much as I see her as a patient, I also see her as a friend and colleague,” Dr. Muldoon said. “I cared deeply about what we would find and about her outcome.”

For Allison, seeing the surgical findings was emotional.

“I’ll never forget waking up and looking at the intraoperative photos,” she said. “Since this is a surgery we perform all the time, I knew what I was looking at. I could tell there was a lot going on, and I cried in the recovery room.”

During Endometriosis Awareness Month, both Allison and Dr. Muldoon hope more women recognize the symptoms and seek care.

“I want patients to know they’re not alone and that they deserve to feel better,” Dr. Muldoon said.

Allison shared a similar message.

“Endometriosis is unfair,” she said. “But what I want people to know is that you are not crazy, your body is not broken, and what you are going through is not your fault.”