Last week, Below The Belt premiered on PBS. My endo warrior friend and I decided to make a movie night out of it. I went over to her house with popcorn from Lesser Evil and watched it with her. During the movie, she and I chatted about the parallels between our experiences and the three women's experiences. We talked about the doctors and all the treatment options these women went through. We even talked about the clear injustices that endo warriors have to deal with when it comes to lack of research and insurance not covering laparoscopy. 

I did think this documentary did a great job of showing the real struggles that endo warriors go through, however, I wanted way more out of this documentary. And maybe that's because I have been dealing with this for so long and feel frustrated most of the time. 

Below The Belt was being marketed as "the most important thing to happen to endometriosis. ever." And quite honestly, I don't think that was the case. I think it was super important because it showed the mistreatment that endo warriors often deal with, from being dismissed and disbelieved to being told their pain wasn't that bad or that they were just overreacting, but I just wanted so much more out of it. 

I, for one, wish they would have touched on how this disease affects everyone, not just women. I wanted to hear more about it being a full-body disease, affecting every single organ in the human body. I would have loved for them to touch on alternative treatments, like pelvic floor physical therapy, an anti-inflammatory diet, clinical trials, etc. I wanted a call for action. I wanted them to encourage people to get involved and to advocate for better research, better treatment, and a better medical system overall for women. 

Although, I truly believe this documentary was a huge step for endometriosis and I sincerely hope so much good comes out of this movie. I do hope to see a huge push for more endometriosis research because this disease sucks and those of us who deal with it every day deserve a cure. 

If you have not seen Below The Belt, you can watch it on PBS.

If you are interested in watching more films about endometriosis, PCOS, vaginismus, etc. Here is a list from Somedays Pelvic Pain Resource Guide. 

Films: