On TikTok, EmmaRose is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of women. Whether she’s sharing her low-tox morning routine or the reality of "endo-belly," she has turned her lived experience into a masterclass in self-advocacy. But before she was the one providing the answers, Emma was a professional ballet dancer fighting a silent, agonizing battle against a body she didn’t recognize.
From stepping away from her career to navigating years of "disconnected" symptoms, Emma’s story is a testament to what happens when you stop waiting for the system to catch up—and start connecting the dots yourself. Today, she’s helping a generation of women find the language, the confidence, and the permission to demand more for their health.
We were so grateful to sit down with Emma to ask her about how she managed a medical system that lacked clear answers, the power of inositol, and why your symptoms are never as random as they seem.
1. To start, tell us a little about yourself. What are the small things that make a day feel good for you?
I’m a former professional ballet dancer turned crunchy military spouse, and I try to build an intentional, low-tox lifestyle with my husband and our two goldendoodles! I’ve always been someone who needs structure and with having endometriosis and ADHD, routine really helps me feel like myself. With that being said, military life doesn’t always make that easy.
I do my best to stay consistent with getting morning sunlight, taking my supplements, moving my body, eating clean, and prioritizing recovery. I’ve learned the hard way that when I let those things slip, I feel it pretty quickly. I try to remember that perfection is not the goal.
I also try to read my Bible daily and I really value community. Having people around me who make wherever we are feel a little more like home is so important.
2. For those who may not be familiar with your story, when did you first begin noticing symptoms that eventually led to your endometriosis diagnosis?
I actually started noticing symptoms even before I got my first period. I was a pretty sick child overall, with what I now understand were signs of an overactive immune system; chronic eczema, frequent UTIs, recurring strep throat, food allergies, and constant fatigue, and I was in and out of doctors’ offices on antibiotics for most of my childhood.
About a year before I even got my period, I started having unexplained abdominal pain. Then I got my period at 12, and within about eight months, my mom pointed out that what I was experiencing didn’t seem normal and could potentially be endometriosis.
In the beginning, it wasn’t even typical cramps, it was severe back pain. It was so intense it would take me out of school and keep me from doing normal activities, and nothing really touched the pain.
@emmarose.ellen Been waiting 10 years to hear a doctor say that I have endometriosis. 🫶🏻 For reference, this was my second surgery. The first surgeon didn’t know what she was doing. I walked away with no diagnosis. So heartbreaking. I got a visual diagnosis from those lap photos about 2 months ago. Yesterday, I had surgery and a lot of endo was finally removed 🥲#endometriosis #endosurgery #endometriosisawareness #endowarrior #endo #endoawareness ♬ take a moment to breathe. - normal the kid
3. Advocating for yourself in a clinical room can be so intimidating. Do you have any tips for explaining your symptoms or staying empowered when a doctor's appointment feels overwhelming?
Advocating for yourself in a doctor’s office has been a huge learning curve for me. Early on, I would walk into appointments intimidated and scared, and leave feeling so disappointed and dismissed. Over time, I learned that preparation and self-education are your best friend.
I bring a detailed sheet with my medical history, all of my symptoms (even the weirdest ones), labs I want to request (and why I want them), and the names and addresses of the specialists I am requesting to see. Sometimes doctors don’t even read everything, but seeing the sheer amount of detail helps them realize you need thorough care. Our medical system is so crazy whacky and the truth is, you have to make it super easy on your doctor if you want to get referrals.
4. How did endometriosis impact your journey with ballet and performing at a high physical level?
Endometriosis had a huge impact on my ballet career, both physically and mentally. Physically, I had to miss a lot of training and classes because of severe pain, extreme hormonal fluctuations, and the systemic effects of heavy bleeding, like anemia and dizziness.
Mentally, it was incredibly hard. I was used to pushing through pain and often dismissed my own discomfort because I had a high pain tolerance. I constantly compared myself to healthier dancers and couldn’t understand why my body wasn’t performing the same way. On top of that, POTS-like symptoms, dysautonomia, and brain fog made common movements, like rolling my head in contemporary dance or doing abs while cross-training, dizzying and disorienting.
It’s also worth noting that many high-level dancers share traits like hypermobility and even neurodivergence. In a way, that helped me reach the level I did, but it also meant I was navigating my endometriosis on top of a body that was already more sensitive. The extreme bloating, heavy bleeding, and bodily fluctuations were very challenging while wearing just a leotard and tights, staring at myself in the mirror eight hours a day. Teachers would tell me to “suck it in,” but it wasn’t always physically possible, even with my ballerina eight-pack. Ballet expects you to show up every day at 100 percent, without exceptions, and it leaves no room for the realities of the female menstrual cycle, especially with endometriosis.
Ultimately, endometriosis forced me to step back from my ballet career, which was heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I know that I am not the only woman with endometriosis who has had to step back from her career.
@emmarose.ellen Endometriosis has caused me so much grief when it comes to dance. I am so thankful for these redemptive moments. #endometriosis ♬ That Home - The Cinematic Orchestra
5. What’s something about endometriosis that you think is still widely misunderstood?
I think one of the biggest things that’s still misunderstood about endometriosis is just how many layers there are to the disease. It involves hormones, the immune system, muscular elements, metabolism, inflammation, and even histamines and the nervous system.
We’re starting to talk more about these things, but often they’re still treated as separate issues instead of interconnected pieces. They all influence each other. Hormonal imbalances can drive histamine responses, stress can make you dump insulin, blood sugar instability can impact hormones, and all of it feeds into inflammation.
6. How did you first come across inositol, and has it played any role in your journey with endometriosis?
I actually came across inositol through my endometriosis surgeon. During an initial ultrasound, he noticed that I had a polycystic ovary. At the time, I hadn’t had any blood work done and didn’t have typical symptoms of PCOS, but hearing that led me to start looking into it more seriously, and he recommended I try inositol.
That moment sent me down a whole metabolic health rabbit hole, and it completely changed the way I approached my health. I started focusing on balancing my blood sugar by changing the types of carbs I was eating, prioritizing a high-protein breakfast, balancing my macros, walking after meals, cutting out refined sugar, and taking inositol daily.
@emmarose.ellen If you’re looking for a great inositol option for your endometriosis or PCOS, look no further than @Bodology ❤️ #endometriosis #endometriosisawareness #endometriosiswarrior #endometriosischeck #endo ♬ original sound - EmmaRose💐|Endometriosis Girly
7. There’s emerging research exploring how endometriosis may be influenced by whole-body factors like inflammation, stress responses, and blood sugar regulation. Was that ever part of the conversation in your journey, or was the focus mainly on hormones and symptom management?
Endometriosis specialists definitely talk about inflammation, and stress management comes up too. Unfortunately, some doctors have even used “stress management” as an excuse to dismiss my pain. But what I notice is that metabolic health and how it affects estrogen metabolism rarely gets any attention. Most conversations about metabolic health in medicine focus on PCOS and androgens, but estrogen isn’t really part of that discussion.
This feels like a huge missing piece because blood sugar and insulin have a major impact on hormone balance and even histamines. Yet it’s almost never addressed in typical medical conversations about endometriosis.
8. What advice would you give to women managing endometriosis while pursuing something physically demanding (e.g. sport, dance, high-performance careers)?
On one hand, I would tell women not to see themselves as broken. There’s something that can happen when you become really aware of your symptoms where it starts to feel like everything is wrong with your body. That awareness is important, but it can also shift your mindset in a way that makes you feel more limited than you actually are. Mindset really does matter, and I say that very lovingly, because the symptoms are legit and they can be incredibly debilitating.
@emmarose.ellen Replying to @🎭 hope this helps! #endometriosis #adenomyosis #endo #endowarrior ♬ original sound - EmmaRose💐|Endometriosis Girly
Through advocating for herself, preparing for appointments, questioning protocols, and refusing to settle for surface-level answers, Emma transformed her role from patient to participant in her own care. And that’s where the real shift happens.
Because while the system may be slow to change, stories like Emma’s are helping to change it — giving other women the language, the confidence, and the permission to dig deeper, speak up, and demand more.
If there’s one thing to take from her experience, it’s this:
Your symptoms are not random.
Your body is not working against you.
And the more you learn to connect the dots, the more power you have to change your own trajectory.
ARTICLE BIOS
Content Creator & Endometriosis Advocate
Emma is a former ballet dancer and content creator with a community of over 12k followers on TikTok and growing. Emma's life shifted when ongoing health challenges forced her to step away from her career. After years of navigating symptoms and a system that lacked clear answers, she began doing her own research, connecting the dots and building a deeper understanding of her body. Now a military spouse, she shares her journey and a more intentional, low-tox lifestyle shaped by self-education and clarity. For more from Emma, connect with her on TikTok at @emmarose.ellen.
