Pelvic pain affects millions, and many individuals, particularly women with conditions like endometriosis, endure years of misdiagnosis, stigma, and insufficient treatments. Often, traditional care focuses only on alleviating symptoms instead of addressing the root causes, leaving patients feeling frustrated and overlooked.

In response to this issue, Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) was founded in 2017 by Dr. Gautam Shrikhande, MD, Co-Founder & CEO, and Dr. Allyson Shrikhande, Co-Founder & CMO. PRM introduces a revolutionary, nerve-focused approach through its patented PRM Protocol™. With 14 locations across 10 states, PRM merges medical innovation with comprehensive support—including behavioral health and nutrition—to help patients achieve real and lasting relief.

Leading PRM’s mission to connect with patients and amplify its impact is Theresa Porcaro, Head of Marketing & Growth. With over 15 years of experience driving growth for healthcare and technology brands, Theresa has transformed PRM into a nationally recognized direct-to-consumer healthcare brand. Her strategic vision and empathetic leadership have been instrumental in building authentic, patient-centered storytelling that resonates deeply.

Together, PRM’s innovative approach and Theresa’s dynamic leadership are breaking new ground, offering hope and healing to patients while establishing a powerful presence in the healthcare landscape.

In an exclusive interview with Business Fortune, Theresa Porcaro, Director of Marketing, a former tech marketer turned healthcare advocate, shares how her personal battle with endometriosis inspired her to join PRM. She discusses how empathy, education, and data-driven strategy are helping the company connect with and empower patients who’ve long been ignored. Below is an excerpt.

Theresa, you bring a wealth of experience in global marketing and have worked across diverse industries, from tech startups to healthcare. Can you tell us about your professional journey and what led you to join Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM)—what inspired this transition and what drew you to PRM’s mission?

Healthcare is a field rooted in passion, and my journey reflects that. I transitioned into healthcare marketing, driven by my love for storytelling and my empathy toward others. Initially, I thought I would work in television, but I craved purpose, data, and the chance to build and fix things. My path led me to healthcare, where my true purpose emerged: advocating for the misunderstood and providing access to care for those who have been silenced.

This transition is personal—I am that patient. After a long search for answers to chronic symptoms, I faced numerous misdiagnoses and felt like no one could help me. Like many women with endometriosis, my pain was often dismissed. This condition affects millions, but remains underreported and misunderstood.

At PRM, our mission is to reduce patient suffering by offering innovative treatments and support. Our Center of Excellence fosters coordinated care, improving recognition and management of endometriosis. After my own successful surgery for the condition, I connected with PRM’s leadership and joined their team.

Three years later, my passion drives me to create meaningful marketing campaigns, making a real difference in the lives of patients who have suffered in silence. It’s a purpose that resonates deeply with me and is unique to this sector.

The Center of Excellence Concept, the first of its kind in the country, is a vital contribution to the evolving field of endometriosis care. It allows for a coordination of care between multiple specialties to provide early recognition of this systemic inflammatory disease and ongoing management of the disease to improve a patient's quality of life.

You might think that PRM and its mission were destiny for me.

Since I was 12, I had been suffering in silence like millions of other women. My pain was minimized, overlooked, and dismissed. Right after listing on the NYSE at UiPath, however, I learned about excision surgery for endometriosis, the disease that up to 70% of patients at PRM have. I had surgery, and it was confirmed that my pain was never in my head, but in my pelvis, and as I began to tell that story online, it caught the attention of the leadership team at PRM. Soon after, we spoke about marketing and how PRM might better reach their patient population – patients like me. What started off as a casual conversation with PRM’s co-founders, Allyson and Gautam Shrikhande, turned quickly into a job interview and offer.

Three years later, my passion is my purpose. I never could have imagined what leaving tech and the B2B space would mean for my career and the lives of our patients. Every marketing campaign, message, and communication is another opportunity to shorten the time that patients are suffering in silence, and that opportunity simply does not exist in any other sector.

PRM was established to address a significant gap in pelvic pain treatment. Can you share how the founders' personal experiences influenced the company's mission and how this vision has evolved since 2017?

PRM was established with a clear mission: to reduce the time patients suffer—often in silence—from pelvic pain. For many pelvic pain patients, the answers to their suffering are often limited to costly surgeries, opioids, hormones, or simply “a glass of wine.” When Dr. Allyson Shrikhande experienced pelvic pain herself, she refused to accept these inadequate solutions. Like many patients who turn to PRM, she was also told that her “tests looked normal” and that pain relief might come from pills and relaxation techniques. This experience motivated her to create a more effective approach to treating pelvic pain.

At PRM, we focus on addressing the underlying causes of this often-silent condition and treating the nerves associated with the pain through the PRM Protocol™. Our core mission is to help patients reclaim their lives, and our ultimate goal is to expand access to this treatment across the country, ensuring that patients everywhere can receive the care they need.

PRM has grown quickly and currently operates in 10 states and 14 locations. What have been the major tactics for this expansion, and how does the executive team make sure that creativity, uniformity in patient care, and the company's basic principles are upheld throughout such a large network?

As a first-of-its-kind treatment approach, PRM has faced both challenges and successes. Our founders have committed their expertise to making access to care our top priority. Led by Dr. Ally, our clinical research has resulted in over a dozen peer-reviewed publications on pelvic pain, endometriosis, and related treatments.

With nationwide growth, we've continued to expand and enhance our services for endometriosis and pelvic pain patients. Despite affecting millions, endometriosis remains underreported due to misdiagnosis, silenced voices, and limited access to care. This lack of recognition has prolonged suffering, delayed diagnoses, and led to serious long-term health consequences.

At PRM, our mission is to shorten the time patients live in pain through personalized, innovative care and continued support. We express our values clearly: We hear you. We see you. We believe you.

Our Center of Excellence model—the first in the nation—brings together multiple specialties to improve early diagnosis and long-term management of this systemic inflammatory disease. We've launched COEs in several U.S. locations and plan to expand further. Current services include non-operative pelvic pain treatment using the PRM Protocol™, advanced gynecological and excision surgeries, and wellness, behavioral health, and nutrition support.

While each PRM location is unique—just like our patients—our mission stays consistent: to reduce suffering by leading with compassion, belief, and expert care.

How did you modify your marketing tactics from your tech background to suit the healthcare industry, particularly for a specialty like treating pelvic pain?

When I pivoted into healthcare from B2B to B2C, I quickly realized that marketing is fundamentally about understanding humans. At PRM, I found the marketing strategy lacking and needed to build it from scratch, focusing on our brand identity and how we connect with patients.

Unlike the traditional marketing funnel in tech, patients often decide to seek care before contacting us. My role involves understanding their needs and questions, heavily relying on my background in SEO and content marketing. While paid media plays a significant role in our budget, it's the organic insights from social media, Reddit, and Google that shape our strategy.

Our goal is to answer questions and nurture patients throughout their journey. In healthcare, success doesn't end with the initial appointment; we must ensure ongoing care and satisfaction to encourage return visits. With the industry rife with misinformation and competition, education is key to our approach.

Which strategies work best for you when developing marketing campaigns that speak to patients who have frequently felt ignored or misdiagnosed?

This is a great question. We must meet patients where they are, focusing on education, validation, and their needs rather than using overly medical language or quick tactics. Our brand voice is empathetic and trauma-informed, ensuring patients feel calm and understood.

At PRM, we provide 24/7 support, a transparent website with pricing and live chat, and a patient portal for easy access. During new patient appointments, our providers spend up to an hour addressing concerns, respecting patients as the experts of their own bodies. We believe in shared decision-making and provide clear information about treatment options.

We avoid gatekeeping and prioritize access to information. Our marketing emphasizes education and validation, exemplified by Worthy Warrior. This community addresses the resource gap for patients, allowing them to share experiences and connect. It provides a forum, medical directory, and access to local meetups, fostering a sense of community while offering accurate information.

Overall, Worthy Warrior empowers patients to transform how endometriosis is treated and enhances their experience through support and shared resources.

Could you explain the PRM Protocol™ and how it differs from other possibilities for treating persistent pelvic pain?

You can't have normal nerves and pelvic pain—nerves cause pain. At PRM, we specialize in pelvic nerve treatment through Dr. Ally's PRM Protocol™, which targets the inflammatory process and nerves to address the root cause of pelvic pain. Early intervention with this protocol can prevent pain escalation, leading to better outcomes and a quicker return to normal activities.

Our innovative, office-based, ultrasound-guided approach to pelvic pain is the first of its kind in the country. At PRM, our specialists focus on diagnosing and treating chronic pelvic pain in both men and women through a safe, effective, and comfortable procedure. Unlike traditional methods like pelvic floor physical therapy or Botox, we specialize in treating inflamed pelvic nerves, which are often the root cause of symptoms. The PRM Protocol™ is a patented, simple procedure designed specifically for addressing chronic abdominal pelvic pain.

The PRM Protocol™ treats pelvic pain by:

• Reversing the inflammatory cascade caused by chronic pain conditions
• Resetting the pelvic environment for pain-free living
• Retraining the pelvic floor nerves and muscles for optimal functionality

Our treatment, administered in-office over 30 minutes, utilizes ultrasound guidance to place a small needle between the nerves and muscles of the medial buttock. This injection creates space and enhances blood flow, initiating the reduction of inflammation. As patients receive treatments tailored by our pelvic pain specialists, they often experience decreased pain and improved pelvic floor function.

Previously, patients visited 7-12 specialists, which we refer to as “the old way,” often resulting in delayed diagnoses and a focus on symptoms rather than causes. At PRM, we address the root cause of pain—the nerves—providing long-term, sustainable relief.

Beyond the PRM Protocol™, PRM offers services like behavioral health and integrative nutrition. How do these services integrate to provide holistic care for patients?

At PRM, we created the PRM Center of Excellence to streamline care for chronic illness patients, specifically for endometriosis. Our three-step approach includes:

• Pre-Habilitation: Reducing inflammation and addressing comorbidities through the PRM Protocol™ before surgery.
• Endometriosis Excision Surgery: Laparoscopic procedures by our skilled excision surgeons to remove lesions, the gold standard in treatment.
• Post-Habilitation: Managing residual issues and promoting long-term health through the PRM Protocol™ after surgery.

We also offer access to online courses in behavioral health and nutrition, plus counseling sessions, ensuring comprehensive care in one place for our patients.

What core principles guide your approach to marketing in the healthcare space, especially for conditions that are often considered taboo or are misunderstood?

1. The patient comes first; the company is second.
2. We meet patients where they are, recognizing that not everyone is ready for an appointment. Our marketing focuses on validation and education, letting patients know we’re here to support them.

Surprisingly, many patients don't seek a diagnosis but are instead searching for answers to how they feel, like “left side pelvic pain during ovulation.” PRM aims to address these concerns through strategic marketing and a mix of organic and paid strategies, complemented by email marketing that prioritizes education.

We provide data-backed answers in a nurturing, empathetic tone. We’re available when they need us and ready for consultation when they’re prepared.

Strategic Visionary Powering PRM’s National Brand Presence

Theresa Porcaro serves as the Director of Marketing of Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine. Previously, Theresa spearheaded global demand generation at UiPath through its IPO and developed high-impact content programs at Upserve, consistently demonstrating her ability to build and scale from the ground up. A Harvard Business Leadership Accelerator alumna, she has been honored as one of the ‘Most Influential People in Healthcare Marketing’ and a ‘Top Woman Leader to Watch in 2025’ awards.

“We want our patients to know that we see them, hear them, and believe them – and leading with that allows us to maintain uniformity no matter what.”