Leading up to my hysterectomy, I thought it would be interesting to look for documentaries about endometriosis and adenomyosis. And I found quite a few!
My first choice was Below the Belt, but I seriously couldn’t find anywhere to stream it… (If you know where, please let me know!).
Fortunately, there was an amazing second option: End of The Cycle.
This docuseries is brand NEW—it literally just came out on June 2, 2026!
End of The Cycle explains exactly what endometriosis actually is. It’s beautifully put together, backed by a great soundtrack, and co-directed and produced by Sammy Jaye and Soraya Simi, among others. The story is told from the perspective of Sammy Jaye herself, who is not only the co-director but also the co-founder of The Endometriosis Collective. That makes the film incredibly personal. I can just feel that Sammy is going to go so far, and I’m so happy for her that she was able to get diagnosed at such a young age.
The documentary features several experts (they included men too!) as well as a lineup of beautiful, inspiring, and motivational women. You’ll hear from (or about) people like Marilyn Monroe, Amy Schumer, Julianne Hough, Janel Parrish, and Fọlákẹ́ Olówòfóyèkù.
Athlete Brittany Brown also shares her story; she mentions that she wasn’t taken seriously until her eighth doctor… Insane, right?
And yes, you read that right: even Marilyn Monroe, the ultimate icon, suffered from endometriosis. The documentary dives quite deep into her story.
Toward the end, some powerful text appears on screen, including: “At least 1 in 10 women is officially diagnosed with endometriosis.” Just let that sink in for a moment… especially considering how incredibly difficult it is to even get diagnosed in the first place.
And also that it takes 7 – 14 years to get the diagnose…
The only thing the doc doesn’t really dive into is what actually causes the disease. But don’t worry, I’ll get back to that in a later blog post!
Despite the harsh reality of it all, the documentary ends on a warm and hopeful note. It leaves you with the feeling that we can tackle this together and that people are working hard on solutions!
Sound like something you’d like to watch? The documentary is available to watch for free at endocollective.org and I highly recommend it to everyone!
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the watch! 🩷