The Silent Epidemic: Why "Normalising Pain" is the Biggest Barrier to Motherhood

Endometriosis: The "Painful Period" Myth

The Calendar of Pain

In many households across India, there is an unwritten rule passed down from grandmother to mother, and mother to daughter: Pain is the price of womanhood. We are taught that menstrual cramps are not medical events, but rites of passage, a monthly test of endurance that prepares a woman for the eventual trials of childbirth.

But what happens when that pain isn’t just a “bad period”? What happens when the pain is a biological siren, screaming that something is wrong, but culture and tradition mute the sound?

For millions of women, the normalisation of pain is the single greatest barrier to becoming a mother. It delays diagnosis, allows conditions to worsen, and creates a heartbreaking gap between the desire to conceive and the biological reality of the body. This is not just a medical issue; it is a cultural crisis.

This is the story of Deepanjali, a woman who almost lost her chance at motherhood because she was told to “bear it with strength.”

The Story: A Weaver’s Knot in Sambalpur

Deepanjali, 28, hails from a vibrant weaving cluster in Sambalpur, Odisha. Her life, much like the intricate threads of the Sambalpuri sarees she grew up around, was complex and tightly bound, but her bindings were made of pain.

For over a decade, Deepanjali lived her life around a “calendar of pain.” Every month, for three agonising days, the world would stop. She would be confined to her bed, curled in a fetal position, unable to participate in the weaving or household chores.

When she first complained as a teenager, the response was immediate and dismissive.

“It is the fate of being a woman,” her mother said, continuing her work.

When the pain grew worse in her twenties, her grandmother intervened, not with a doctor’s appointment, but with herbal pastes and stern advice:

“You must bear it with strength. If you cannot handle this, how will you handle childbirth?”

Deepanjali learned to be silent. She learned to mask the agony. But when she married and failed to conceive for four years, the silence broke. The narrative shifted from “you are weak” to “you are stressed.” Family members whispered that her anxiety was preventing a pregnancy.

But Deepanjali knew the truth. The pain wasn’t in her mind. It was a visceral, physical barrier. During her cycles, she described the sensation not as cramping, but as “a hot iron being pressed against my insides.”

She wasn’t unlucky. She wasn’t “just stressed.” She was suffering from a condition that had been ignored for too long.

The Science Pulse: The Hidden Migrator

Deepanjali had Endometriosis.

To understand why she couldn’t conceive, we must look beyond the vague label of “period pain” and look at the biology of the condition. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) grows outside of it. It can migrate to the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the outer surface of the uterus, or deep into the pelvic floor.

Here is the crux of the problem: This “misplaced” tissue still responds to the body’s hormonal cycle.

Every month, just like the lining inside the uterus, this rogue tissue thickens, breaks down, and bleeds.

• Inside the uterus: The blood flows out of the body as a period.

• Outside the uterus: The blood has nowhere to go.

Trapped blood causes intense inflammation, irritation, and the formation of scar tissue. Over time, this creates “adhesions”, bands of scar tissue that can fuse organs together. It is a biological disaster happening in secret, masked by the cultural expectation that periods are supposed to hurt.

The Santaan Difference: Seeing the Invisible

Why did Deepanjali go undiagnosed for so long? Aside from the cultural normalisation, there is a technological gap. Standard ultrasounds often miss early-stage endometriosis. If the cysts aren’t large enough (chocolate cysts), a routine scan might declare the pelvis “normal.”

When Deepanjali arrived at Santaan, we knew we had to look deeper. We didn’t just perform a routine scan; we utilised FertiVision, our advanced imaging protocol designed to detect the subtle nuances of pelvic health.

We weren’t just looking for cysts; we were looking for “tethering.”

The Garden Analogy

To explain her condition to Deepanjali and her husband, we used an analogy:

Think of the reproductive system as a garden. In a healthy garden, the flowers (ovaries) and vines (fallopian tubes) move freely in the breeze. In Deepanjali’s case, the garden was healthy, but “vines” of scar tissue had grown too thick. They were strangling the flowers and sticking the leaves together. The overgrowth was preventing the seeds from taking root.

Through FertiVision, we saw that her ovaries were “tethered” or stuck to the back of the uterus due to adhesions. The anatomy was distorted. The egg could release, but the path to the sperm was physically blocked by this inflammatory web.

The Intervention: Targeted Care over Aggressive Treatment

In many fertility clinics, the immediate reaction to a case like Deepanjali’s is often aggressive IVF. While IVF is a powerful tool, it is not always the first or only answer. At Santaan, we believe in restoring the body’s ecosystem first.

We didn’t just hand her painkillers or rush her into surgery. We initiated the Santaan Protocol:

1. The Mapping (Diagnosis)

Using minimally invasive “mapping,” we identified the precise areas of inflammation and scar tissue. We needed to know exactly which “vines” were causing the blockage and where the “hot iron” pain was originating.

2. The Anti-Inflammatory Reset (Nutrition)

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease. We realised that Deepanjali’s diet, though traditional, contained local inflammatory triggers that were fueling her pain. We placed her on a specialised anti-inflammatory nutrition plan designed to lower the body’s internal heat and immune response.

3. The Santaan Companion (Tracking)

We utilised the Santaan Companion, our patient-guidance system, to help Deepanjali track her pain triggers. This was empowering. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t ignoring her pain; she was studying it. We discovered specific dietary triggers and stress patterns that aggravated her inflammation, allowing us to modulate her lifestyle in real-time.

The Outcome: Letting the Body Breathe

The goal was to clear the “vines” and lower the inflammation so the garden could thrive.

By reducing the internal inflammation through nutrition and clearing the structural adhesions, Deepanjali’s body was finally able to breathe. The pain that had haunted her for a decade began to recede. It didn’t vanish overnight, but it became manageable. The “hot iron” cooled down.

Crucially, because we restored the anatomical relationship between her ovaries and tubes, she did not need immediate, aggressive IVF.

Six months after starting her personalised care plan at Santaan, Deepanjali conceived naturally.

She is now expecting her first child. The “curse” of her womanhood was not a curse at all; it was a medical condition waiting to be heard, validated, and treated.

The Takeaway: Break the Silence, Not Your Spirit

Deepanjali’s story is a victory, but it serves as a warning. How many years did she lose to the myth that pain is normal? How many women are currently struggling to conceive, labelled as “stressed” or “unlucky,” when they are actually battling a biological enemy?

Severe period pain is NOT a rite of passage.

• If your period forces you to miss work or social events…

• If painkillers no longer work…

• If the pain radiates to your back or legs…

• If this pain is stopping you from living your life…

…it might be stopping you from starting a family.

Do not let tradition silence your body. If you are in pain, you are not weak. You are not complaining.

You are experiencing a symptom that requires expert attention.

Don’t bear it, diagnose it.

Science Note: The Tech Behind the Care

At Santaan, we use advanced technology for deeper insights into human biology. Our approach goes beyond standard fertility checks. We utilise high-resolution imaging and proprietary protocols to identify inflammatory markers and structural adhesions (like the “tethering” seen in Deepanjali’s case) that often go unnoticed in conventional screenings.