Photos by Michaela Skovranova mishkusk | These self-portraits document my journey with endometriosis, a complex inflammatory disease within the reproductive system that can also impact muscles, nerves, joints, lungs, and even the brain. It affects roughly one in nine born with a uterus—an estimated 200 million people worldwide. In advanced stages, endometriosis invades the surrounding organs. Thick bands of scar tissue can bind organs, resulting in dysfunction and damaged nerves. It's a debilitating condition I've suffered from for 20 years. Symptoms include chronic pelvic pain, pain with menstruation and ovulation, excessive bleeding, infertility, nausea, food intolerances, fatigue, pneumothorax, and more. For patients who exhibit symptoms, there is an average 7- to 10- year delay in getting the diagnosis, which can have devastating consequences. Currently the only way to confirm a diagnosis is through laparoscopy, in which a camera is inserted into incisions in the pelvis or ab...