Meet Simran who has been dealing with painful periods and endometriosis since puberty

I am Simran Kapoor, a 25-year-old marketeer based in Qatar. Being from that 10% female population that undergoes the problem of endometriosis, I have surely come a long way when it comes to recovery. 

Childhood and Diagnosis
I had my first period at the age of 14 and it was very difficult to handle. Not only was the period painful, but the flow was also heavy, lasting for almost 10 days. I felt that something was wrong and tried to express my concerns to my family. However, my situation was put off by saying: “Every girl goes through this and you too will manage.” Periods are a taboo in our society so their reaction was not surprising. But it led to me being unaware of my condition for a long time.

By the time I reached college, my periods were out of control. Once, I bled like a tap for two months and uneasy and uncomfortable throughout. I was highly drugged with painkillers. Consequently, I went to see several doctors to find out why this was happening to me and what I could do about it. I got prescribed medication, but even that didn’t make things better. Finally in 2016, I was diagnosed correctly… with endometriosis.

The road to recovery
The first step was getting a Mirena coil attached to my uterus. It helped in stopping my periods completely. But it was not easy. The coil came with repercussions like IBS, acne breakouts and excruciating pelvic pain. 

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Periods being a scare for me, I stood firm on my decision to continue with the coil. Unbeknownst to me, it was only the first step. After a year of visiting various gynecologists, full of scans and tests, I was told that it was necessary for me to undergo a laparoscopy. I was at stage 1 of endometriosis, which is considered to be a minor case; and yet the pain continued.

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This was Simran’s journey with endometriosis. If you too are a health champion like Simran, do write in to us at healthshots@hindustantimes.com to get featured here.