Rachel Weintraub felt excruciating pain with her first period at age 12. The Long Island native and resident of Jersey City suffered for 15 years until October 2023, when she was diagnosed with adenomyosis.
“As a speech therapist, my job is to advocate for others, but sometimes we forget to advocate for ourselves,” Weintraub said. “I think about how different my life might have been growing up if I had spoken up about what I felt. That’s why I’m running this marathon—to provide education and awareness.”
EndoFound’s Team EndoStrong is in its tenth year as a charity partner with the New York City Marathon, and it’s the second year in a row the foundation has been classified at the bronze level by New York Road Runners. The race is Nov. 3, and all 50 of Team EndoStrong’s slots have been filled since the spring. The foundation’s goal is to raise $250,000.
Click Here To Support Rachel Weintraub's Marathon Fundraiser
When Weintraub’s symptoms began in middle school, those in her life then said bad cramps were normal, and she accepted it.
“I distinctly remember waking up at two or three in the morning and being curled in a ball with stabbing pains. I’d wake up again at 6 A.M. to go to school and be exhausted,” Weintraub said. “I took Motrin to try to get me through the school day, but by 10:30, the cramps would be back with a vengeance. I’d have to text my dad to pick me up.”
Nothing changed in high school.
“I went to dance class one day during my senior year and my period had just started,” Weintraub said. “The cramps were so bad that I ran into the bathroom, got physically sick, and had to drive myself home. I think that was when I reached my breaking point. I knew it was more than just bad cramps. Something was seriously wrong.”
Weintraub went to a gynecologist for the first time at 18 and was put on a birth control pill with estrogen.
“It definitely lessened the severity of my cramps. I didn’t feel sick or like I was going to faint when I had my periods,” she said. “But then, about three years ago, I noticed a sharp pain within my uterus at different points during the month, not just with my period anymore.”
Having never heard of adenomyosis or endometriosis, Weintraub didn’t think the pain was really related to her uterus. She thought it might have something to do with her diet and expected it would go away with a few changes in what she ate. It didn’t.
“In the winter and spring of 2023, I started experiencing a lot of gut health issues,” she said. “A ton of bloating, constipation, nausea after I ate. I went to a new gynecologist and a gastroenterologist a day apart. My gynecologist said, ‘If it’s not IBS, come back, because I think it could be endometriosis.’”
The gastroenterologist diagnosed Weintraub with SIBO—small intestinal bacterial overgrowth—an abnormal increase in bacteria in the small intestine. She was prescribed medication to take care of it but wasn’t convinced that was the only issue. Weintraub returned to her gynecologist for an exam and was diagnosed with adenomyosis. Whereas endometriosis is when endometrial-like tissue grows outside of the uterus, adenomyosis is when it grows in the uterine muscle. What the future holds for Weintraub is uncertain, but fortunately, no surgery has been necessary so far.
“The fact that I was able to get a diagnosis so quickly was amazing considering how long it can take for so many women,” Weintraub said. “My gynecologist switched me over to a progesterone-only birth control, and it’s been great. I don’t get my periods, so I’m not experiencing any pain.
“That’s why it’s so important for me to run with EndoFound—to provide education and awareness,” Weintraub continued. “Finding EndoFound and reading other patients’ stories has been so validating. That’s why I wanted to tell my story. Until a year ago, I had no idea other women experienced this.”
This will be Weintraub’s first full marathon. She ran her first half marathon in New York City in April and couldn’t get enough of it.
“It was so inspiring,” she said. “I loved the energy, the training, the whole process. And as I’m training now for the full marathon, I’ve run over three bridges in Manhattan. I never thought I’d run over any bridge in Manhattan. Just seeing the skyline while I’m running—there’s nothing better.”
Weintraub’s goals are to finish the race in under five hours, raise at least $4,000 for EndoFound (she’s halfway there), and, most importantly, help other young women who don’t know what’s happening to their bodies.
“I encourage everyone to speak up about their symptoms. It’s okay to talk about it,” Weintraub said. “I didn’t feel I could do that because it was so deeply personal. It’s your body, your pain, and you don’t know how it’s going to be received by others. But you need to speak up because you don’t know what’s going on, and it’s so much better to get to the bottom of it.”
To donate to Rachel Weintraub’s cause, visit https://give.endofound.org/fundraiser/5565807
