BATON ROUGE — Endometriosis is when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus. A lack of knowledge about the condition often leads to a delayed diagnosis.

"The first time I even heard the word endometriosis was when I was 21 years old," Leslie Patriarco, a patient, said.

For years before that, Leslie Patriarco had been suffering from debilitating period pain, but every time she sought medical care, she says doctors told her they found nothing medically wrong.

"I truly started to believe this was completely in my head," Patriarco said.

The last straw came on a work trip when she experienced what she now knows was a terrible flare.

"The amount of pain I was in, I was vomiting, um, the concern they had, almost pulling me over for an emergency visit, and the fact that in the back of my mind, I knew they would not find anything," she said.

After nearly a decade of suffering, Patriarco was diagnosed with endometriosis. Surgery brought relief for about two years until the symptoms slowly started coming back. This time, she sought care from New York Gynecology Surgery and Endometriosis.

"On average, it takes about anywhere from seven to eleven years before a patient gets proper diagnosis and or treatment," Dr. Pankaj Singhal, New York Gynecology Surgery & Endometriosis, said.

Around 6.5 million women in the U.S. are impacted by endometriosis, but these surgeons say treatment and training for care of this condition are complex and don't receive the attention they deserve.

"Be your best advocate. Don't take no for an answer. If someone is not listening, they're not the right physician for you," Dr. Singhal said.

After Patriarco pushed for answers, she found out her endometriosis was stage 4, and after surgeries, she now has significant symptom relief.

"I did in fact know my body. It had progressed. It was back. I was not crazy," Patriarco said.