Not just 'bad periods': Myths around endometriosis that delay diagnosis

Endometriosis affects an estimated 42 million women in India, nearly 1 in 10 of reproductive age. Yet it remains one of the most delayed diagnoses in gynaecology.

In clinical practice, a consistent pattern emerges. Women spend years being told their pain is normal, that heavy periods are something to manage, not investigate. By the time they reach a specialist, many have lived with symptoms for years without a clear diagnosis.




One of the biggest barriers is the normalisation of pain. Severe menstrual pain is often dismissed as routine, when in reality it is a clinical signal that needs attention.

• Myth 1: Painful periods are normal and nothing to worry about. Pain that disrupts daily life, requires medication, or keeps women from work is not normal.
• Myth 2: A normal ultrasound means you do not have endometriosis. A standard scan can miss endometriosis entirely, particularly in early stages. In India, the condition is seen in nearly 1 in 3 women with infertility and in up to 70% of those with unexplained infertility, many of whom had previously been told their scans were clear.
• Myth 3: Only women who are trying to conceive have an issue with endometriosis. Those women have had chronic pelvic pain, extreme fatigue, and/or painful menstruation well before they thought about trying to get pregnant.

Early evaluation does not mean complex intervention. It begins with a consultation and the right questions being asked. Pain that disrupts your daily life is not normal, no matter how many times you have been told it is. Endometriosis is not a rare condition; it is an under-recognised one, and the earlier we identify it, the more we can do for you.

(This is an authored article by Dr. Shilpi Sweta, Fertility Specialist at Birla Fertility and IVF, Bhopal)