My Story: From Patient to Founder

My name is Tamar, and I have a PhD in theoretical chemistry. Ten years ago, I moved from Tel Aviv to New York for a postdoctoral position at NYU.

During that time, a series of viral infections left my health in free fall. I developed constant pain, nausea, extreme fatigue, and could barely function for more than a few hours a day. Yet every doctor told me I was “just recovering.”

The diagnoses piled up - Crohn’s disease, IBS, chronic fatigue, asthma -  but none explained the whole picture. I felt invisible, unheard, and desperate.

So, I turned to the skills I knew best: research and mathematical modeling. I began tracking and analyzing my symptoms in detail. Even on birth control, without periods, I saw my body still followed a hormonal cycle - and my symptoms followed clear patterns and correlations. Those patterns ultimately revealed the real culprit: endometriosis.

The next day, a top specialist confirmed I had severe endometriosis, with intestinal inflammation that had been missed for years. Looking back, the signs had been there since my teens, but no one had connected them.

I’m not a medical doctor, but I am a researcher. During the two years I was bedridden, I used my scientific skills to map patterns and correlations in my symptoms - confirming my diagnosis of endometriosis and uncovering other conditions it had triggered. This clarity allowed me to pinpoint the root cause of each symptom and work with my physicians to receive accurate, targeted treatments. While it didn’t cure the disease, it gave me something I hadn’t had in years: control over my life, my pain, and my health.

That personal tool has now evolved into SymptoLab — a platform built for patients, by patients — to help others with complex hormonal diseases track, understand, and manage their conditions.

Right now, we’re running a pilot program with a small group of endometriosis patients to perfect the platform. The data we collect will not only help participants, but also shape the future of diagnosis and treatment worldwide.

If you believe in this mission, join our waiting list.

Be the first to know when SymptoLab opens to everyone - and start turning your data into better care.

Data is power. Let’s use it for change.

— Dr. Tamar Zelovich