LPGA Tour pro Sarah Schmelzel stepped away from professional golf after being diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis. It is a chronic condition where tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. The World Health Organization notes that it affects approximately 10% or 190 million women of reproductive age worldwide. Speaking on the LPGA’s September 16, 2026 feature, Playing Through: The Sarah Schmelzel Story, she opened up about 15 years of severe pain she had to endure before she could find a solution.

“You know, even though it’s not comfy, it was sharp pain. It was burning. It would be, you know, shooting pain down my legs every time I took a step. It was so much pressure. It just felt like my pelvis was literally going to explode. I texted my mom and dad in our group message. I said, I need help. I really need help,” Sarah Schmelzel said as she fought back tears.

The 31-year-old said she knew something was wrong with her body. She spoke about a pool party in particular, where she showed the discomfort during her period to one of her friends. That’s when she realized that her periods were very different from her friends’ and were way more intense. But when she sought help, she was made to believe that this was normal.

“I went to my first gynecologist appointment, and I just asked her, I’m having these symptoms. I really don’t feel good. I’m very different than all of my friends. And her response was, ‘Welcome to womanhood.’ That just gave me this idea that this was normal. This is what life as a woman must be like,” she added.

Every time someone told her she was fine, she had to put on armor around her to be tougher. After fighting through the aggressively increasing pain for around 15 years, Sarah Schmelzel sent a message to her parents that she needed help. They looked for specialists who could help her. Finally, Dr. Laurence Orbuch told her it wasn’t normal, and that it was okay to cry about it.

Schmelzel discussed the details of her diagnosis in a May 2026 Instagram post. According to reporting on the post, she underwent excision surgery about five months earlier and was diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis. She revealed that surgeons removed 22 tissue samples during the procedure, and all of them tested positive for endometriosis. She also underwent an appendectomy and bilateral ovarian cystectomies to remove endometriosis cysts.

Many elite golfers, including Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Alison Lee, Lauren Coughlin, and others, commented on the post to show their support.

“Sending so much love your way ! ❤️” Nelly Korda wrote, while her elder sister said, “So sorry you’ve had to endure so much pain, praying this is the light at the end of the tunnel for you 🙏🏻🩷”

This isn’t an isolated story. There are many other sports athletes who have endured the same pain caused by endometriosis. One of them is rugby player Gwen Crabb, who described being so consumed by endometriosis symptoms that she struggled to think clearly during a match. Medical investigations found significant cysts on both ovaries. This included a large, blood-filled cyst, and an MRI later confirmed stage IV endometriosis.

The same goes for footballer Katja Snoeijs. Everton and Netherlands forward Katja Snoeijs said endometriosis temporarily disrupted her football career. She described pain that left her in bed for several days and eventually underwent keyhole surgery after medical investigations. She later returned to training and spoke publicly to encourage other women to seek help.

That’s what Sarah Schmelzel is trying to do, too. She said that she is speaking openly about her symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment to spread awareness. It matters not only for earlier diagnosis and cure but also for funding and research. Her Instagram post also focused on that. In fact, she had been working on the caption of that post for several days. And when she finally uploaded it, she started crying.

For Schmelzel, stepping away from golf has given her space to recover from surgery and address a condition that remained unexplained for much of her career. The last event she played on the LPGA Tour was the 2025 CME Group Tour Championship. Although she has not won a title on the Tour, her performances have gradually improved. Last year, she made the cut in 21 of 24 starts, including three top-10 finishes.

She played in pain and discomfort all these years. While there is no cure for endometriosis, the surgery helped her get rid of the cysts. This would reduce the symptoms significantly. So when she finally comes back to play on the LPGA Tour, she could be pain-free and may even go on to register her maiden win after the long battle against the painful disease.