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Erica Rimlinger

Erica Rimlinger was scolded throughout her childhood to stop telling stories. Nevertheless, she persisted. Erica holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and has spent her 25-year career telling stories for clients that have ranged from nonprofit organizations to corporations, and from magazines to America’s Most Wanted.

Based in Seattle, Erica is an avid hiker and backpacker and is overcoming a fear of heights to learn rock climbing, with mixed results so far. Her favorite part of writing for HealthyWomen.org is sharing stories of women who have overcome tremendous adversity and gone on to advocate for themselves and others. Erica believes telling stories is what helps us make sense of life and all its joys and travails. She believes every woman has a story — and we should never stop telling them. You can find more of her work at www.ericarimlinger.com.

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6 Tips for Getting a Diagnosis for a Uterine Condition

6 Tips for Getting a Diagnosis for a Uterine Condition

Advocating for yourself and getting involved in decision-making can help you manage uterine conditions

Conditions & Treatments
reproductive health

6 Tips for Getting a Diagnosis for a Uterine Condition Infographic. Click image to view PDF

Getting a diagnosis for a uterine condition can be frustrating and take some time. But if you understand your options and play an active role in decision-making with your healthcare provider, you’re likely to be more satisfied with the outcome. 

Here are 6 expert tips on how you can advocate for yourself — and get the right diagnosis as fast as possible.

  1. Share your symptoms and how you’ve been managing them on your own or with a healthcare provider (HCP). Be sure to include how long you’ve been dealing with symptoms and how long it took to get a diagnosis (if you’ve had one).
  2. Express the emotional toll your uterine symptoms have caused.
  3. Discuss your personal goals for treatment. This includes quality of life and personal values.
  4. Let your HCP know your fertility goals. 
  5. Share any information you’ve researched and any medical records or tests you’ve taken that may help your HCP understand what you’ve already experienced and tried before.
  6. If possible, bring a support person with you to listen and take notes to help you remember what was discussed and plan your next steps.

It can be hard to talk about parts of our bodies society calls “private” — even more so if your feet are in stirrups — but know that HCPs are used to discussing these topics. And they want women to speak up and be partners in decision-making. 

Effective self-advocacy + shared decision-making = better outcomes. 

This resource was created with support from Sumitomo Pharma.

 

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