Endo Unfiltered: How to take charge of your endometriosis and PCOS

by Erin Barnett

"Endo and PCOS won't stay neatly contained within your body . . . No chance. They'll bleed into every area of your school, work, relationships, finances, self-esteem, mental health . . . There's no part of your life they won't touch, and that's exactly why I'm going to come at them from all angles in this book."

In this raw, powerful, medically reviewed insider's guide, Erin Barnett - influencer, women's health advocate and star of Beauty and the Geek Australia , Love Island Australia and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!  - shares her experience of navigating her teens and twenties while living with endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

At fourteen, Erin had the first of many pelvic surgeries. With another fifteen surgeries behind her, she's a self-taught expert when it comes to dealing with endo drama - whether that's dismissive doctors, random bleeding, chronic pain, multiple medications or relationship drama (the list goes on). With her knack for cutting through BS and her trademark sense of humour, Erin is sharing her story and words of wisdom in the hopes of empowering fellow sufferers to take charge of their own health and wellbeing, no matter their age.

Recently named an Ambassador for Endometriosis Australia, Erin is part of a growing movement of endo sufferers giving voice to this previously taboo topic that affects a vast group of people - too many of whom suffer in silence believing their pain and symptoms are 'normal'.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Christabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book felt like more of a recount of the authors story than a help book. don’t get me wrong, showing that you have experience and knowledge about what you’re writing about it’s great, but this book just feels like it’s MOSTLY that. it shouldn’t really be classified as a sort of self help book when there’s really not much self-help advice in it.
i was really disappointed with this one :(

[Jase Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: Disordered eating

Really good stuff, important stories for someone like me to hear as a husband of an endo sufferer.

UNTIL she starts advocating for downloading MyFitnessPal and watching your calories etc. in chapter 8 ('Life can still be an adventure'). Maybe I've missed the point but I hate that app with my entire soul. Especially when in Chapter 1 (Meet Endometriosis and PCOS) she says 'I've also tried the odd diet when I've spied a trend... I've found these approaches to be too much work for too little reward.'

Rest of the book is well worth the read though, just maybe not if you've experienced disordered eating in your life.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis just under two weeks ago. Waking up from surgery and feeling the four incision sites I knew a diagnosis was finally coming. However I was not expecting stage four, that was a shock. But the diagnosis was also a relief. I’m not crazy and the pain I have been experiencing is not normal or to be expected.
I read this book four days into my recovery. It is a wonderful account of someone else’s journey and it helps you feel less alone. It has some great personal insights, tips and tricks for dealing with this horrible condition. I myself wish I read it before surgery so I had been a little more prepared with what to expect.
This book has very limited medical insight (to be expected, the author is not a doctor) but I highly recommend to everyone whose menstruation makes them suspect they have endometriosis or they have been officially diagnosed with it.

[lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars.

If you suffer from endometriosis and/or PCOS, or you know somebody who does, or you want to learn more about these conditions, please read this book.
As somebody who is looking for a diagnosis this book has left me feeling empowered to take a bigger role in my medical life - I want my health issues to be solved, I want a cure.
Endometriosis and PCOS need more awareness, and this book explains them from a personal perspective.

[Siobhan Trimble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as someone with endo and appreciated the positive and motivational commentary throughout. It was slightly more focused on the author’s personal anecdotes than I thought it would be but it was still insightful and I learnt some things. Would have loved a section on dealing with feelings of imposter syndrome as that’s something I’m looking for help with at the moment. Overall an informative read and appropriate trigger warnings placed throughout.

[Ellisa Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book easy to read with a modest amount of information relating to endometriosis and PCOS. However, for me, the author allows too much personal reflection which takes away from some of the relevant information. The way it is written almost makes me feel inadequate after only having a few surgeries for endometriosis as compared to the author.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already follow Erin on social media, and her humour really follows through into this book. This book is the perfect balance between informative and relatable, speaking specifically to her own experiences with endo and PCOS, using both scientific and layman's verbage and explanations of the conditions, and was genuinely such an enjoyable read.

[Bari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear but also not too dissimilar or eye opening from various social media influencers discussing their PCOS or endometriosis journey. Read like a magazine entry at points. I don't know if that's good or bad.

[Rosie N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic personal account of the authors struggles with Endo and PCOS. She feels like the older Endo sister you didn’t know you needed. More of a personal story than a self-help book but still great all round

[Natalie Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with some of the other reviews on this one, a lot of personal anecdotes and not much information that actually has helped me on my journey. As someone who has endo the stories did ring true but the book just felt a little light on medical information.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erin does well at explaining what to expect with surgery and the aftermath. Enjoyed the read

[Megsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like hearing someone else's story that is going through similar medical issues, so I don't feel so alone. This book is empowering. The reader is given the push to question more and not settle.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this so fast! So many thing to learn