Mabuto speaks - when pain is called normal - a new era

We rarely seem to talk about issues related to women.However, it's Women's Month, and it's important.What I love about women of my generation is that they are open about the women's health issues they face.A lot of young women today are growing up with a lot of information that most of us don't have.

This month is also Endometriosis Awareness Month.Growing up, my periods were always 100/10.They lasted for seven days, and what really bothered me was that the only solution available was that my mother told me it was normal.This is what the women in my family told me: it's normal, you're right.I don't know why I'm tired of feeling and being a woman inside and out.Because we weren't told anything was wrong, we endured for many years.Some of us, if not most of us, have lived with that pain for so long that we've almost become used to it.

The problem with normalizing pain is that it shuts out the questions.When girls are told that severe period pain is just part of being a woman, they stop asking if something could be wrong.

Endometriosis is one of the diseases that hide behind this silence.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, often affecting the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other pelvic organs.This can cause severe pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, fatigue, and, in some cases, fertility complications.

According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis affects one in ten women and girls of reproductive age worldwide.Despite this, many women spend years searching for answers before getting a diagnosis.

One of the difficulties is that menstrual cramps have historically been normalized in a way that has hindered medical investigation.Young girls are often told that cramps are just part of being a woman.

Families pass on stories of enduring painful cycles as if it were a rite of passage.In many cases, even health care systems take time to recognize the severity of these symptoms.

The result is that many women learn to live with their pain.They miss school, overcome discomfort, or silently plan their lives around their cycles.However, it remains difficult to advance the debate on menstrual health.

This is why attention is important.

When women begin to talk openly about their bodies, their pain, and their experiences, it creates space for younger girls to recognize that suffering in silence should not be the norm.Pain that interrupts your life, causes you to faint, or prevents you from functioning is not just something you have to endure.

Women's Month should not only celebrate women's achievements, but also create space for conversations about women's health.Because empowerment is not only leadership and success.It's also about knowledge, access to healthcare, and the freedom to question what we've always been told.

For many women, the first step to better health begins with a simple realization: that the pain they have learned to accept may not be normal after all.And sometimes the most powerful thing a woman can do is simply say, "This pain deserves attention."

*Frieda Mukufa's New Age section focuses on issues related to women and parenting.He specializes in editing research proposals, editing and content creation.

– etuholefrieda@ gmail.com