Endometriosis: College Planning – Center for Young Women's Health

Planning for the day when your child goes off to college is a time filled with mixed emotions. As a parent you probably know that college life will open new doors opportunities for your child,and it is also a time in their life when they will be growing personally. Their job will be to learn how to take care of themselves and live independently. It can be difficult for both of you while they are learning how to manage their life, since they may be making decisions on their own for the first time. For your child, college is a chance to make new friends, try new activities, learn new things, and set up a home away from home. For you, it is a time of adjustment and letting go. Allowing your child to advocate for themselves and problem solve may be a tall order if you have been managing most aspects of their life, including their health issues. However, it is likely that they have gradually taken on more responsibility during the last few years.

There are many things to consider when helping your child plan for college. If they have endometriosis, and is planning on living away at school, there are additional things to consider. We hope that the following information will answer your questions and offer helpful advice.

Should my child know about their health insurance coverage?

Yes. It is important that your child know exactly what kind of health insurance coverage they have. For example, some insurance policies will only provide coverage until a child is 18 or 19 years old. Other policies may continue to provide coverage beyond this age, if the child is a full–time student. Tell your child how long they will be covered and give them the contact information along with an insurance card. You or your child can check with the admissions department at their college to see if they need to buy an additional “student insurance policy” while they are a student. If you know they are not covered by your family’s insurance plan while at college, make sure they signs up for a special “student insurance policy.”

Most insurance companies require a student to complete a form every year documenting that they are a full time student. If they don’t complete the form, the insurance company may not cover your medical bills. Complete the form!

Before your child leaves for college, or as soon as possible, ask your insurance company to send you a summary of your family’s benefits. You both should know the answers to the following questions:

How long will my child have insurance coverage? (For example, up to what age are they covered? Do they need to be a full time student to receive or “get” full coverage?)
Does the policy cover out–of–state emergency services?
Does the policy require that they contact the insurance company within a certain amount of time if they requires emergency services?
Is there a waiting period for certain services?
How much is the co–pay for general medical, specialty, and urgent care appointments?

If you’re unable to find the answers by checking your insurance policy, encourage your child to call the insurance company and talk with a representative. Remind them to write their answers down someplace in their agenda or a notebook that they will be taking to college.

What does my child need to know about the health services at college?

They will need to find out:

When the Health Center is open
What kind of services are provided
Who can they talk to if they have any issues related to their endometriosis
How to reach someone if they have concerns or questions
If there is a health care provider at the Health Center that has experience in caring for teens with endometriosis. (If so, they should get the name and number before they need it.)
If someone at the Health Center can administer their Lupron Depot® injections (if applicable)

Your child should know the location of the closest hospital to their college in the event of an emergency, or if they needs more care than their college Health Center can provide. They should also find out what kinds of services are offered, and if students are transferred to another hospital if more specialized care is needed.

Is there anything my child should do (because they have endometriosis) before they leave for college?

Tell them to make appointment with their gynecologist 1–2 months before they leaves for college.
Encourage them to keep at least a 1 month record of their pain and symptoms and bring it with them to the appointment.
Stress that it is very important that they tell their gynecologist about their concerns, symptoms, what helps to relieve the pain and what makes it worse.
Suggest that they talk to the GYN team about a plan for when they experiences pain or other symptoms while away from home. (This will give them control and comfort).
Be sure to have your child gets their prescriptions filled with enough refills to last until they returns for a follow–up appointment. It is also a good idea to get the name and number of a pharmacy near their college campus.
Have them schedule follow–up visits with their gynecologist ahead of time so they can be seen during semester breaks.
Help them request a copy of any recent operative notes from the medical records department (if they have had surgery for endometriosis) from the hospital where they have been treated. Advise them to put the reports in a notebook/binder and bring it with them to college with other important papers and/or ask the Health Center at school to keep a copy on file.

Should my child find a gynecologist near their college?

If your child will be attending a college that is far away from home, you and your child may decide that having a local health care provider or a gynecologist is best for them. It is a good idea to schedule an appointment with their new gynecologist before they starts classes so they can establish a relationship. They can help the communication among all of their health care providers involved in their care by providing each of them with a list of all of their medical providers, and a brief description of their roles in their health care. Include telephone numbers, fax numbers, addresses, and e–mail contact information, if appropriate. Provide them with copies of any important medical records, including operative notes, a list of medications they are taking and any side effects or allergic reactions they have had in the past. Creating a timeline of when their symptoms began, date of surgeries, etc., is also very helpful.

It may take a little while until your child feels completely comfortable making their needs known since they will also be adjusting to college life. As they works with their new health care providers, they will soon learn how to advocate for themselves so that they can help coordinate their care.

Should my child talk with their professors about having endo?

Some teens find that talking to their professors about their endometriosis is helpful. Your child may feel awkward at first about approaching their professors. However, most college faculty appreciate students who come to them early on in the semester if there might be a problem that could potentially affect learning. If they find that their courses are challenging because of pain from endometriosis, they should definitely speak with their professor(s) again. The longer they wait, the more overwhelmed they may become. You can explain to them that they do not have to give detailed information about their medical condition unless they wants to. They can simply explain that they have a “chronic disease with chronic pain”. Since endometriosis affects approximately 5 million people born with reproductive organs, they, may find that their professor is familiar with it.

Is there anyone else my child should talk to about their endo?

It can be helpful to have 1–2 designated people at your child’s college Health Center as their “liaisons” – one person to whom they can go to if they need medical assistance and another person who can offer them emotional support. These people should be capable of offering your child guidance if their pain interferes with
their academics.

What are some ways to help my child deal with their college workload?

Learning to use the course syllabus can be helpful for your child in dealing with their college workload. The syllabus keeps them informed about what is expected of them for each class, and allows them to plan their course work accordingly. An agenda can also help your child manage their time and plan ahead so they won’t fall behind if they becomes ill. Recording lectures and then taking notes later can help if they have trouble concentrating in class. If they can’t make it to class, they might be able to ask a friend to take notes or record the lecture for them. Most colleges also have Resource Centers that provide a variety of services to help students deal with heavy workloads.

Are there any special services on college campuses that help students with chronic illnesses?

You and your child can check the college website to see if their school has services for chronically ill students. They may be able to offer help with note taking, extensions on tests or papers, and/or help with special dietary needs. If they have a 504 plan, it will help them access special services.

Learning to plan ahead particularly when dealing with a chronic illness will help your child to effectively advocate for themselves and be aware of special services before they need them, so they can make the most of their college experience.

Our health guides are developed through a systematic, rigorous process to ensure accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness. Written and reviewed by experienced healthcare clinicians from Boston Children's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and consistently ranked as a top hospital by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, these guides combine clinical expertise, specialized knowledge, and evidence-based medicine. We also incorporate research and best practices from authoritative sources such as the CDC, NIH, PubMed, top medical journals, and UpToDate.com. Clinical specialists and subject matter experts review and edit each guide, reinforcing our commitment to high-quality, factual, scientifically accurate health information for young people.