If I dare to say, “I’m in too much pain to function,” the response is predictable: a shrug, a chuckle, or that tired line “That’s normal. All women go through it.”

And that’s the real problem. Pain has been recast as ordinary. Women’s suffering is not only dismissed it’s glorified. We’re handed a cultural crown of thorns and told to wear it with pride, as though endurance itself were our crowning achievement.

The Medical Gaslighting

The first betrayal often happens in the doctor’s office. Historically, women’s pain has been minimized, doubted, or outright ignored. One study found that women wait 33% longer than men to receive pain medication in emergency rooms. It’s not just a delay it’s disbelief.

This disbelief is devastating when applied to reproductive health:

• Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhea): Around 80% of women experience menstrual pain; up to 15% suffer pain so severe it disrupts work or school. Yet the advice is often reductive “Take painkiller, it’s just cramps.” This easy dismissal not only normalizes unnecessary suffering but also hides conditions like endometriosis.
• Endometriosis: Affecting 1 in 10 women globally, this condition can cause agonizing pain and infertility. Yet diagnosis takes an average of 7 to 10 years in many countries. Seven years of being told it’s “just stress” or “bad periods.” Seven years of pain treated as imaginary.
• PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome): Another 1 in 10 women battle this condition, with symptoms ranging from irregular cycles to chronic pelvic pain. Many see three or more doctors before diagnosis, enduring years of uncertainty.
• Fibroids: Affecting up to 70% of women by age 50, fibroids cause heavy bleeding, back pain, and anemia. Still, many are told to simply “manage it” until the pain becomes unbearable.

This is not medicine it’s gaslighting drapped in white coats.

The Heroism of “Showing Up”

We admire women who grit their teeth through pain as though it’s a badge of honor. The colleague who attends a meeting pale and sweating is hailed as “dedicated.” The mother who juggles child care while recovering from a C-section is “superhuman.”

But what we’re really applauding is their ability to suppress pain. We’ve built a culture where silence equals strength, and asking for relief equals weakness.

To admit, “I can’t work today, I’m doubled over with cramps,” risks judgment: lazy, unreliable, dramatic. And so we push through. We suffer in silence. We wear our pain as armor because that’s what society demands.

Motherhood: Pain as Proof of Love

No discussion of normalized pain is complete without childbirth and postpartum recovery. Labor is one of the most painful experiences a human body can endure, but it’s often romanticized as “natural” and “beautiful.” Pain relief is seen as optional, even indulgent.

And then comes postpartum. Up to 36% of women report severe pain in the first 72 hours after delivery, with many struggling for weeks. Yet they’re expected to host visitors, breastfeed, keep the house together, and return to work often without adequate medical or emotional support.

The fourth trimester is one of the most overlooked phases of women’s health. Instead of care and rest, mothers get platitudes: “That’s just how it is.”

The Cult of Resilience

This is the paradox: women are celebrated for resilience, but that celebration keeps them chained to suffering. To show up in pain is “inspiring.” To demand recognition of that pain is “complaining.”

But resilience should not mean tolerance of neglect. Stoicism is not strength; it is survival in a system designed to ignore you.

Breaking the Silence

It’s time to dismantle this narrative:

1. Believe Women: A woman’s testimony about her pain must be enough to warrant investigation and care.
2. Invest in Research: For decades, women’s health has been underfunded. Closing the gender pain gap requires more than sympathy it needs resources.
3. Change Work Culture: Workplaces should normalize conversations about menstruation, postpartum recovery, and reproductive health without stigma.
4. Reject Pain as Heroism: Stop praising women for enduring pain. Start asking why they have to.

Conclusion: Laying Down the Crown

Every month, I drag myself out of bed, push through the pain, and show up because that’s what’s expected. But showing up doesn’t mean the suffering is acceptable.

The crown of thorns society places on women bleed, ache, endure, repeat was never a gift. It’s a burden we should refuse to carry. A woman’s worth is not in how much she can endure in silence, but in her right to live without unnecessary suffering.

It’s time we stop applauding women for surviving pain and start building a world where they don’t have to.

The post The Crown of Thorns: Why Women’s Pain Is Normalized and Praised appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.

Poverty and a lack of education were associated with higher rates of adolescent pregnancy as about 4 in 10 women aged 15-19 years who have no education have ever been pregnant, compared to only 5% of women who have more than secondary education. 

Notably, nine counties—Nairobi, Kajiado, Homabay, Meru, Kericho, Narok, Kisii, Mandera, and Bomet—account for 56% of all teenage pregnancies in the 10-14 age group. Disturbingly, adolescents aged 10-19 make up 53% of sexual gender-based violence cases in 2021 and contribute to 61% of new adult HIV infections.

The household-based survey shows that teenage pregnancy rates declined to 15% in 2022, from 18% in 2014.

The post TEENAGE PREGNANCIES: KENYA RANKED THIRD GLOBALLY appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.

The foods listed are crab meat, pineapple, papaya or pawpaw, processed meat, “wild apples”, green tea, and caffeine.

Is this true?

What causes miscarriage?

According to the UK’s Miscarriage Association, most women who lose a baby through miscarriage don’t find out why, “even if they have investigations”.  

The World Health Organization says there are many reasons why a miscarriage may happen, including foetal abnormalities, the age of the mother, and a variety of infections. However, it is often difficult to determine the cause.

Tommy’s is a UK-based charity that funds research into pregnancy complications. It suggests some lifestyle changes that may “lower the chance of having a miscarriage”. 

These changes include avoiding certain foods and limiting others, including caffeine. The charity mentions that green tea contains caffeine, and should also be limited.

Tommy’s says: “It is safe to eat cold, pre-packed meats such as ham and corned beef.”  But it warns against eating cured meat, which is raw, and any liver products. 

It also says that cooked shellfish, including crab, is safe to eat, but raw shellfish can cause food poisoning. 

None of the fruits mentioned in the Facebook post are listed. 

‘Everyday food safe for pregnant women’

We asked Samuel Uzoigwe, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria, about the fruits mentioned in the post.  

He said the fruits, if consumed in moderation, were not harmful to a pregnant woman or foetus.

“The food and fruits listed are things that make up the diet of an average Nigerian. We can talk about food causing miscarriage only when the food has been contaminated or contains toxic materials, not everyday fruits,” Uzoigwe added.

The post NO, PINEAPPLE IS NOT BAD FOR PREGNANT WOMEN appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.