I was 13 when it started.
It began with a dull ache in my lower back and right thigh. Then came the waves—contraction-like cramps that pulsed through my uterus and stole my breath. Within hours, I’d be curled up on the bathroom floor, vomiting, crying, shaking.
Every month, like clockwork.
And every month, I was dismissed.
I used to plan my entire life around my period. I’d check the calendar before saying yes to sleepovers, school trips, or parties. I’d beg my mom to keep her phone on loud, just in case I had to be picked up early.
At 17, I told her I wanted my uterus removed.
The pain made me feel like my body was punishing me.
Like it hated me.
Like I couldn’t trust it.
Doctors told me:
- “You’re fine.”
- “It’s just bad cramps.”
- “Nothing shows on the ultrasound.”
- “It’s all in your head.”
But I wasn’t fine.
I was in survival mode.
Some years, it got better. Other years, worse. But it never really stopped. I just learned to live around it.
Now, as an adult, I still suffer from infertility.
Still no clear diagnosis.
Was it endometriosis? A tilted uterus? Hormonal sensitivity?
No one knows. No one ever tried hard enough to find out.
And now, as a mother, I pray:
Please don’t let my daughter go through this.
But what’s changed?
- Birth control is still handed out like a cure-all Band-Aid.
- Surgery is offered as a maybe-it-will-help solution.
- Women’s pain is still downplayed, doubted, or outright ignored.
The truth?
Women’s health is under-researched, underfunded, and misunderstood.
And I’m not having it.
I became a doula to be the person I desperately needed.
Someone who listens.
Someone who believes you when you say it hurts.
Someone who knows that period pain is not supposed to ruin your life.
I see you. I hear you. I was you.
You deserve better. We all do.
If you’re reading this and you relate—you’re not alone. There is nothing “weak” or “dramatic” about advocating for your health. Keep pushing. Keep asking questions. And know there are people like me in your corner.
With love and belief in your strength.
