This dissertation highlights the urgency and relevance of including transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals in endometriosis research, policy, and care. By challenging the framing of endometriosis as a “women’s condition,” it exposes how cisnormative assumptions have limited the understanding and treatment of this condition. Interviews with healthcare professionals and TGD people with endometriosis show how endometriosis is embodied by this community, that faces unique challenges in accessing adequate healthcare. The findings reveal significant gaps in previous research, and question how prevalent endometriosis is among this heterogenous community. The work also demonstrates that transdisciplinary and participatory approaches are crucial for advancing inclusive knowledge and promote the empowerment of marginalized communities. Overall, this thesis argues that recognizing TGD experiences is not only a matter of representation but a necessary step toward reconfiguring how endometriosis—and sex and gender in health research more broadly—are conceptualized and addressed.
Maddalena Giacomozzi (they/them) is a queer medical doctor and researcher. They were the first endometriosis specialist in the Netherlands at RadboudUMC. Currently, they work as clinical sexologist at PsyQ’s Sexology and Transgender Health team. In 2021, they co-founded the Treat it Queer Foundation, which promotes health justice for the queer community through medical education.