Endometriosis is excruciating. But the medical scale for pain is tragically flawed, leaving women in particular to suffer
On a scale of zero to 10, with zero being no pain at all and 10 being the worst pain imaginable, how is your pain?
Because pain is impossible to diagnose objectively, doctors often refer to a chart of emoticons to understand how their patient is feeling. At the bottom of the chart is the frowniest of frowny faces: pure, unadulterated agony. At the top is a carefree and happy smiley face: no pain at all.
