'During the days of my period, I was in so much pain that I prayed that I would die

'During the days of my period I was in so much pain that I prayed I would die and I was so desperate to relieve my pain and suffering that I even injured myself.'

Rama's voice faltered while describing this situation.

According to 39-year-old Rama Cheema, when she became an adult, no one told her what kind of changes a girl's body undergoes when she is young.

Because of this, they had no special awareness about menstruation and related issues.
Rama from Pakistan came to Lahore to study many years ago and during that time her period started.

But her menstrual cycle was significantly different from other women. According to Rama, the first three days of menstruation were painful for her.

Rama says that even her hostel warden and other staff would have known which medicine and which injection to administer to her in such a situation.

Narrating her ordeal, Rama said that as soon as her period started, she experienced severe pain in her lower body and legs and felt as if someone was cutting her internal organs with a dagger.

'Everyone around me knew immediately that Rama's menstrual days had started because I would scream in pain and hurt myself. I used to faint many times. People thought I was joking. People around me used to say that you are a weirdo who makes such spectacles.

But according to experts, Rama is not the only woman who suffers from such annoying pains during her period.

According to doctors, this pain is caused by a specific disease found in some women called 'endometriosis'.


What is endometriosis?


Endometriosis is a disease in women in which the tissue inside a woman's uterus, called the endometrium, grows outside the uterus.

This deterioration of the endometrium tissues causes more discomfort in affected women during the menstrual days and can also lead to infertility in many women with this disease.

Talking to BBC in this regard, Gynecologist Dr. Shahina Asif said that most of our girls suffer from this disease but they are unaware of the problem.

'Usually when girls are young and their periods start, mothers or women around them say that it's okay, it hurts during those days. But in our society, there is not much awareness among women about this disease and they consider the menstrual days of every girl to be the same.

He also said that it is very important to remember and understand that not all menstrual pain is endometriosis and it is important to get the disease diagnosed correctly.




Talking about this disease, he further said that when a patient comes to us, it is also important to see what stage he has endometriosis.

Explaining the reason, Dr. Shahina said that because the severity of this disease is very high in some women and this is the reason that the tissues spread to the tubes and other parts of the uterus, due to which many women lose pregnancy. The process also fails to complete.

'I could not become a mother for nine years'


Talking about the changes in her life due to this disease, Rama said that before marriage, feeling the pain of menstrual days, life was very difficult.

'I started hating my sex and I would get really depressed every month before my period, only to have it all over again. My youth passed like this.'

He said that when they got married, their problems increased.





'My parents got me married. After that things got worse and my pain increased. I used to feel very embarrassed in front of my in-laws when every month my husband would take me to the hospital and everyone would know that Rama's health had deteriorated. After a year of marriage, everyone started saying, 'When will you announce the good news?'

Rama says that she did her many ultrasounds and tests but they all came back normal and the doctors said you are delusional and nothing is wrong.

He said that after persistent resistance, the doctors performed a lipectomy after which it was found that Rama had endometriosis.

'My doctors told me that the severity of the disease in me is very high and the spread of tissues is also very high. Due to which I am not even able to become a mother. That day I felt that my world had come to an end, because in the environment I grew up in, a woman was seen for the sole purpose of getting her married and then having children.'

He said that despite many years of treatment, there was no benefit.

'I underwent many operations and used medicines. I lost six children in those nine years, which made me more depressed. People around me used to tell me to get my husband married again and some people's attitudes became so bitter that they did not allow me to come near their children that you should not cast your shadow on us.

Then finally a son was born to Rama through IVF process.

Talking about IVF i.e. In Vitro Fertilization, Gynecologist Dr. Shahina Asif said that IVF is a procedure in which we take a woman's egg and a man's sperm and cross them and put them inside the woman. give




This procedure is done because in endometriosis, extra tissue sticks to the uterus, causing the lining of the uterus not to function properly and the egg and sperm not meeting.

Dr. Shahina further said that it is not necessary to get success by getting treatment only once. Many women have to go through several stages for this and the treatment costs around four lakh rupees.

According to Rama, this treatment is very painful and during this treatment you are under a lot of stress because you pray every time that the eggs will be healthy and the treatment will be successful as soon as possible.

He further said that in his case, the doctors said that when you get pregnant, your endometriosis will be cured and it happened.

'After my successful pregnancy and the birth of my son, my illness improved a lot but did not go away.'

Dr. Shahina says on this matter that the nature of this disease is different in every girl and it can be cured by treatment for which it is very important to take the expert opinion of your doctor immediately and get treatment.




'This disease made me a successful woman'

According to Rama, the years of her life spent in pain have at least brought about a very positive change in her life and she has started a project called 'Betti' in which she deals with specific diseases of women, It gives awareness regarding the rights and their remedies.

Rama wishes that women become economically strong so that they can at least take care of their own affairs.