PREMIUM TIME
The commencement of menstruation in most parts of the world is a sign that a girl has come of age. It is even celebrated in some parts of the world and, in some other parts, women and girls are isolated when they have their period.
For many young people, it is the assurance that one is not expecting a baby.
But that is far from Bukola Osawu’s reality. The 25-year-old has always had painful menstruation since she started menstruating at 11.
“Every month that I have my period, it is extremely painful. It is so painful that I have to be induced to sleep,” she said recalling how she got by in secondary school.
The injection administered would stop her flow, she told PREMIUM TIMES but it provided the relief she desperately needed at the time even though she was concerned about the long-term effect.
“Each time I went to the clinic, they would ask why I could not endure ‘ordinary’ period pain. Only if they know how painful it is,” Ms Osawu said.
Becoming an adult did not save her, what it did, was make her responsible for herself. As an undergraduate, having her period meant she was not going to be in class.
“When my period is one or two weeks away, I am always so anxious and sad because I know there is pain waiting somewhere,” Ms Osawu told PREMIUM TIMES.
Several medical investigations showed nothing was wrong with her, the closest she heard to something being wrong was hormonal imbalance.
On getting to China for her graduate studies, she repeated the same investigations and got the same result, “there is nothing wrong.”
“Is it that there is no research on this? I am not fine!” she said with much frustration in her voice.
Ms Osawu said she is now able to ‘endure’ the pain “because I cannot drag myself to the clinic because of the pain.” Her way of enduring the pain is crying the pain out, using a hot water bottle, using painkillers (as many as can ease the pain) and staying away from food so she does not throw up.
She has explored several options including herbal remedies in Nigeria and none have solved her problem. “I just want a solution,” she added.
Perhaps not as severe as that of Ms Osawu, Chisom Okonkwo, 27, like many women and girls of menstruating age, is unsure what her monthly flow will bring, pain or intense pain.
“I recall once I told my mum I wanted to die due to the pain I was feeling,” she told PREMIUM TIMES.
Narrating her monthly ordeal, she said some months are better than others. Sometimes she could manage the pain in her stomach that menstruating comes with every month while other times she is at the mercy of Felvin, a regular Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID) used to ease the pain…
