Last year, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. It took me nine long years to get diagnosed with this chronic illness. Since the age of 14 I’ve been struggling with endometriosis and finally getting that diagnosis felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. Ever since I’ve been looking for books that have endometriosis representation.
So, I wanted to share a few of the ones I’ve found in this post. If you are looking to learn more about the chronic illness or if you are looking for representation of the chronic illness, then this post will give you some recommendations. Here are some recommendations of books with endometriosis representation!
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up her mother’s protege. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.
For five years she’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:
#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’ve all been inseparable for months, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.
#2: The morning after, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised together. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly.
Because #3: right after they get in the bank, two guys start robbing it.
But they have no idea who they’re really holding hostage.
This is the first book that I’d ever read to mention endometriosis. One of the characters, Iris, has endometriosis and is actually going through a flare up throughout this book.
I loved the fact that despite the fact Iris’ endometriosis has a huge affect on her, it shows that she is still amazing, hard-working and breaks stereotypes surrounding chronic illness. I would highly recommend this book for the gripping storyline, shocking twists and endometriosis representation.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-known journalist who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Provence, beginning a complex ménage-à-quatre. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotion-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.
I had absolutely no idea before reading this that it had endometriosis rep and I think it should be promoted so much more that it does. The main character of this book is diagnoses later on in the story but we see how the illness affects her right from the start of the book.
I was reading Frances story thinking about how much I related to the pain she was going through and as soon as she was diagnosed it made so much sense. I really appreciated that in the new TV adaptation of this book it doesn’t shy away from showing endometriosis. It made me feel like the chronic illness is finally getting representation in mainstream media.
Please Read this Leaflet Carefully by Karen Havelin
Having been diagnosed with severe endometriosis in her twenties, she believes that the only way to survive her painful and debilitating illness is to be completely self-reliant. In between doctors appointments and in and out of hospitals, Laura confronts single parenting after her divorce, leading a life her own teenage self would be in awe of.
After many years of enduring pain and the persistent feeling of never being understood, Laura navigates her own sexuality and her unrecognized chronic condition the best she can, forced to question her beliefs as she learns to find a certain peace, even in an impossible situation. Figure skating has been her salvation together with her writing and the dream of escaping Norway and moving to NYC.
This is one of the books that I am yet to read but have been recommended by a lot of people due to the endometriosis rep. The novel is told backwards, from 2016 until 1995. It discusses the details of daily life whilst living with endometriosis. Not only that but it shows how different events in the main characters life are affected in different ways due to the chronic illness and other factors in her life. I will be prioritising reading this one very soon.
Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean
When five-year-old Evie O’Shea married her next-door neighbor in the wedding of the century, she had no idea she was swearing an oath to love the man who would grow into the bane of her existence until the end of time. Or that in ten years time, she’d start a long and winding journey to an eventual endometriosis diagnosis.
Now, aged twenty-six, Evie O’Shea lives in Paris, balancing precariously close to her Charlotte Lucas birthday. A burden to her parents, with no prospects and no money, Evie’s humdrum life needs a shake-up.
This book comes out later this year and I am so excited to read it. A romance book with endometriosis representation deserves all the love in the world. We follow Evie in this book as she navigates life with Endometriosis. I think it will be amazing to read an own voices endometriosis book and I cannot wait to share my thoughts on this one.
There you have it, just some of the books out there that have endometriosis representation. Do you know any books with endometriosis representation? Let me know in the comments below!
Loisreadsbooks 
Great post! It’s interesting to hear that The Girls I’ve Been has this representation, I’ve bumped that one up my TBR lately.
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It is such an amazing book too!
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Great blog post! I had no idea these books had Endometriosis rep in them.
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Thank you! I didn’t until reading them so wanted to share the love!
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All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover!
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