ENDOMETRIOSIS: A PAIN THAT STEALS DREAMS

✒️:. Zara Adnan

Imagine living with a perpetual pain that evokes a it is normal, be strong’ response from the medicos and subjects the parents to psychological torture as they watch the patient helplessly curling in her bed. And to add insult to the injury, the indifferent society accuses the patient of feigning ailment, her sobs, tears and occasional screams notwithstanding.

With their abdomen in her hands, the patient feels the pain spreading to her entire body. The mental state of the patient can only be imagined when after repeated visits to the doctor and the nearby health centre for a dose of painkiller, she is told that the ailment tearing her body apart is “incurable”.

Endometriosis is a lifelong and chronic inflammatory disease where internal tissues grow excessively causing intense pain. According to studies, every one in ten women get affected by it. A patient described it as a ‘war waged by the growing tissues’ on the physiology and psychology of the patient. But, there is no good news for the patients; the ailment continues to be the most misunderstood’ health condition across the globe.

The response of the people makes endometriosis the most hated health condition. Phrases like “its normal, stop thinking about it, don’t try to be dramatic, just take a painkiller”.

Most of the doctors rely on ultrasounds and when the screen looks normal the doctors say “you are fine”. But endometriosis is something beyond the scans and lives where the doctors don’t search. We the women with it start to doubt our own pain. We smile through the suffering, attend classes with trembling hands and deal with the body that hurts every second. While trying desperately to describe their suffering, many women are prescribed painkillers, antidepressants, or even told to focus on studies and stop worrying. For some, it is only after collapsing from pain or undergoing emergency surgery that the truth is finally uncovered.

For many women, the first betrayal comes from the doctors. Instead of receiving care, they are met with disbelief. Their concerns are minimized, their pain is labelled “normal” and their symptoms are brushed aside as stress, weakness, hormonal mood swings, or even attention-seeking.

During those years of dismissal, the disease often worsens. Lesions grow. Nodules deepen. Organs stick together. Pain spreads to the back, thighs, and bowels. Some women develop infertility. Many lose valuable time, opportunities, and mental peace. All because their pain was not taken seriously. When a disease has no cure, early diagnosis is crucial. Yet the pathway to diagnosis is filled with closed doors, disbelief, and casual dismissal by the very professionals trained to help.

A disease without a cure becomes even more devastating when the healthcare system refuses to acknowledge its severity.

Endometriosis deserves the same seriousness as any other chronic illness. It needs more research funding, more awareness campaigns, more trained specialists, and more compassionate healthcare providers.

Most importantly, the world must adopt one simple principle:

Believe women when they talk about their pain.

Global health cannot progress while half the world’s population continues to be silenced. Medical science cannot advance while women’s suffering is dismissed. Society cannot call itself equal while ignoring a disease that affects millions.

About The Author

Zara Adnan was born in Srinagar in 2006. She is pursuing Economics Honors at Amar Singh College in Srinagar. She developed an interest in poetry at a young age. She uses her writing to share her voice. She has authored two books, Whispers of My Journey and Echoes of 1947. Email 📧:zaraadnan44@gmail.com