Every month, millions of people experience pain, fatigue, and discomfort during their menstrual cycle. For a lot of menstruators, this pain is dismissed with three words: “It’s just cramps.” But what if it isn’t?
Behind those words often lie undiagnosed health conditions, endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and other menstrual disorders that silently shape the lives of countless people. These conditions don’t only affect the body; they erode dignity, access, and equality.
The Burden of Menstrual Disorders
According to the World Health Organization, around 10% of women and people who menstruate worldwide live with endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, causing severe pain, infertility, and inflammation. Yet diagnosis can take an average of 7 to 10 years. That’s nearly a decade of being told the pain is normal.
According to NIH, PCOS, one of the most common hormonal disorders, affects 1 in 10 people of reproductive age and is linked to irregular cycles, acne, infertility, and mental health challenges. Despite its prevalence, it remains widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed, especially in low-resource settings where menstrual pain is trivialized or hidden under cultural taboos.
These are not rare or isolated conditions, they are part of the lived reality of millions who menstruate. Yet the silence surrounding them remains deafening.
Menstrual pain and disorders thrive in silence. In many cultures, menstruation is still treated as a private matter.. That silence breeds misinformation, shame, and neglect. People grow up believing that extreme pain is a normal part of womanhood, that fainting during a period is something to endure, not investigate.
A PubMed research shows this clearly: in one study of 509 women who had not sought care for dysmenorrhea, many said they assumed their symptoms were “normal,” preferred to self-manage, or believed providers would not offer help. Another study found that in Sub-Saharan Africa between 61%–84% of adolescent girls experienced dysmenorrhea and many cited sociocultural and educational barriers to seeking treatment.
Healthcare workers often mirror these beliefs. Studies show only around 30% of women with dysmenorrhea ever consult a physician, which means many others suffer without formal diagnosis or support. Often, people reporting menstrual pain are frequently dismissed, told to “toughen up,” or given painkillers without further evaluation. This leads to late diagnosis, unnecessary suffering, and, in some cases, irreversible complications like infertility or chronic pain.
When healthcare systems and societies fail to take menstrual pain seriously, they fail at protecting dignity. Dignity means being believed when you say you are in pain. It means being given the tools, knowledge, and support to understand your body, not being shamed into silence.
The Link Between Health and Dignity
Menstrual health is not just a medical concern; it is a human rights issue. The United Nations Human Rights Council recognizes menstrual health as central to the rights to health, education, and equality. When someone cannot access diagnosis, treatment, or even basic understanding because of stigma, their dignity is stripped away.
Dignity, in this context, is not abstract. It’s the right to move freely without fear of leaks or shame. It’s the right to access healthcare that listens and responds. It’s the right to live without chronic pain dismissed as “normal.”
Finding Out And Speaking Up
The path to reclaiming menstrual dignity begins with awareness and education. People need to know what healthy menstruation looks and feels like. Irregular, extremely painful, or excessively heavy periods are not normal, they are symptoms worth investigating.
Regular checkups, open conversations, and early screening can lead to timely diagnosis of menstrual disorders. But for that to happen, communities and health systems must first create an environment where speaking about menstruation isn’t shameful, and where people are believed when they say they’re in pain.
Health education programs, especially those targeting adolescents, should include not only menstrual hygiene but also menstrual health: what’s typical, what’s not, and when to seek help. Teachers, parents, and healthcare providers must be trained to respond with empathy and knowledge, not embarrassment.
A Dignity-First Approach
To build a world that truly values menstrual dignity, we must:
- End the normalization of menstrual pain. Acknowledge that severe pain is not “just part of being a woman.”
- Promote early diagnosis. Integrate menstrual disorder screening into routine reproductive health services.
- Train healthcare providers to recognize and treat menstrual disorders with sensitivity.
- Invest in menstrual health research that includes diverse populations, especially those often excluded from clinical studies.
- Break the silence by supporting advocacy and education campaigns that make menstruation part of everyday conversation.
Dignity means being seen, heard, and believed. It means no one should suffer in silence because their body’s natural rhythm is treated as taboo.
Conclusion: From Pain to Power
Menstrual health is not just about managing blood; it’s about managing humanity. For too long, people have carried their pain quietly, taught to endure rather than question. But every act of awareness, every conversation that replaces shame with understanding, moves us closer to dignity.
When we take menstrual disorders seriously, we are not only improving health outcomes; we are restoring self-worth. Because no one should have to fight for the right to say, “This pain is not normal.”
Menstrual dignity is not a privilege, it is a right. And it begins when we finally listen.
Written By: Victory Wekulom
Victory Wekulom is a writer and communications professional dedicated to using storytelling as a tool for visibility, advocacy, and social change. As the Media and Communications Assistant at IGE-SRH, they develop narrative-driven content, support community-focused campaigns, and help shape conversations around gender justice, the rights of marginalized communities, and sexual and reproductive health. Their work is grounded in clarity and a commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and lived experiences.
