Practicing Law with Endometriosis and Adenomyosis: Nearly 30 Years of Strength, Strategy, and Self-Advocacy
This year, my law firm, Piccolo Heath LLP, is focusing its blogs and webinars on accommodation related topics to help employers navigate the world of disability accommodation. In that vein, I’m sharing a bit of my story as an individual with a disability to help shed light on invisible disabilities.
For nearly three decades, I’ve practiced law while living with endometriosis and adenomyosis—two chronic conditions that are often misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and invisible to the outside world and that often exist in tandem with other disabilities/ complications. Practicing law is demanding on the best of days. Add chronic illness to the mix, and the challenges multiply but so do the lessons.
What Are Endometriosis and Adenomyosis[i]?
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, including on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, bowel, diaphragm, lungs, and other organs. This tissue responds to hormonal changes, causing inflammation, scarring, and often lots of pain.
Adenomyosis, is when endometrial tissue grows into the muscular wall of the uterus causing an enlarged tender uterus, heavy bleeding, severe cramping, and chronic pelvic pain. Unlike endometriosis, it is limited to the uterus but can be just as disruptive.
Both conditions are invisible, meaning they don’t show up in outward appearance, and they’re often dismissed or misdiagnosed. Many people live with these conditions for years before receiving a proper diagnosis.
The Early Years: Misunderstood Pain in a High-Demand Profession
In the early years of my legal career, I didn’t have a diagnosis. I assumed the pain, fatigue, and unpredictable symptoms were just part of the stress of working in a high-pressure profession. I told myself to push through, to be tougher, to keep going. That’s what lawyers do, right?
It wasn’t until much later into my late 40s that I learned I was living with both endometriosis and adenomyosis - conditions that had been silently shaping my experience from the start. The diagnosis brought clarity, but also a reckoning: I had been fighting a battle I didn’t even know I was in.
The Daily Impact: Pain, Planning, and Perseverance
Living with these conditions meant navigating intense physical pain while maintaining the mental clarity and emotional stamina required in legal practice. It meant managing in-person appearances around flare-ups and sometimes working through discomfort that may have sidelined many other people.
The Invisible Burden
One of the hardest parts of living with these conditions is their invisibility. Colleagues and clients often couldn’t see what I was going through. I didn’t “look sick.” I wasn’t always comfortable disclosing my condition, fearing it might be seen as a weakness in a profession that prizes resilience and stamina. But, over time, I realized that silence wasn’t strength: it was isolation. I began to speak up. I learned that vulnerability, when paired with professionalism, can be a powerful tool for change.
Building a Sustainable Career
Living with these chronic conditions forced me to rethink what success looked like. I had to build a career that was sustainable and not just impressive on paper. That meant learning some hard lessons about setting boundaries:
I chose clients and work that aligned with my energy
I focused on opportunities to provide top notch legal work
I fostered a work environment that valued flexibility and empathy
I also became an advocate. Given that I practice employment law, this advocacy seems to flow naturally. I have assisted workplaces with implementing policies that support employees with chronic conditions, such as remote work options and flexible hours. I have had the pleasure of working with clients who have created a culture that respects health as much as hustle.
Gratitude for My Business Partners and Colleagues
I couldn’t have done this alone. I’m deeply grateful to my long-time business partner Jennifer Heath, whose support, understanding, deep friendship, and collaboration have made it possible for me to thrive professionally while managing my health. Adrian Ishak is a very much appreciated recent addition to our partner group and both their willingness to listen, adapt, and lead with compassion has been instrumental in building a firm culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention my colleague and friend, Cynthia Ingram, who has stepped in many times to do work and help clients when I wasn’t able to. Of course, I have many other supportive colleagues and I’m fortunate enough for there to be so many that I can’t list them all here. I’m deeply grateful for the incredible village that has surrounded and supported me.
What Chronic Illness Taught Me About Law and Life
Endometriosis and adenomyosis taught me patience, empathy, and the importance of listening. These are skills that made me a better lawyer and a better mentor (if I do say so myself!). They taught me how to advocate fiercely, not just for clients, but for myself. They taught me that strength isn’t about powering through pain. It’s about knowing when to pause, pivot, and protect your well-being.
Most of all, these conditions taught me that disability doesn’t diminish professionalism. It deepens it.
A Message to Others
To any professionals living with a chronic illness: you are not alone. Your experience matters. Your voice matters. And your career is not defined by your condition: it’s shaped by how you rise, adapt, and lead.
I hope that I continue to experience a legal profession that recognizes the full humanity of its practitioners. One where resilience includes rest, and strength includes softness.
For anyone looking for support or to learn about efforts to manage endometriosis or adenomyosis, The Endometriosis Network is a great place to start.
Patrizia.
