Talking to your partner

Talking to your partner about your health can be challenging, whether it’s telling a new partner about your diagnosis, talking about your needs in a flare, telling a long-term partner that you are struggling, or talking about your reproductive future.

Starting this conversation can be a great way to help you manage your endometriosis, access support, and help your partner understand what endometriosis is and how it affects you both. 

Here are some guidelines to help make the experience less difficult.

Step 1. Know why you want to talk

Knowing why you want to have the conversation is a great place to start. Take some time to think about what you want to say and why you want to say it, even writing it down can be helpful as your partner may have lots of questions.

There are many reasons to start a conversation with your partner about endometriosis and it’s important that the reason suits your needs. 

Some reasons you may want to start a conversation could be: 

• You have just received a diagnosis and you’re not sure what it means
• You have been managing the condition for a long time and you would like to tell them how it affects you
• You would like to know how suffering from endometriosis affects them and how you can help
• You would like to have a conversation about how they can support you through difficult times
• You would like to have a conversation about how endometriosis affects your fertility
• You would like to have a conversation about how endometriosis affects intimacy and your relationship

Step 2: Learn about the condition 

Your partner may have questions about what endometriosis is, how it affects you and what impact it will have on your relationship. The best place to start is by getting high-quality and accurate information that you can both rely on to inform your conversation your decisions.  

You may want to give your partner some information on endo before the conversation so that they have time to digest it beforehand.

Step 3: Choose the right time and place 

Having a conversation with your partner about endometriosis may be emotional and daunting. It’s important to create space and time to have a productive conversation. After a long day at work or before you are going to family dinner might not be the best time! 

You can let your partner know that you want to have a conversation about endometriosis and set aside some time that works for both of you.  Going for a walk or chatting in a neutral space might also help you to be as open and honest as possible to get the most out of the conversation.