Betterdays
Period and pelvic wellness, science, stories, and more.
My Journey From Period Pain To Co-Founding Somedays
I was 9 years old the first time I went to the hospital for abdominal pain. I remember my mom telling me the doctor was going to ask if I had started my period yet...
What Is Medical Gaslighting and 5 Ways To Recognize It
Am I exaggerating my symptoms of pain? Do I really need medical attention? Doctors are always right, so they must be right about my experiences of pain….right? These were the thoughts that plagued my brain immediately following appointments for seeking...
My Journey With Endometriosis As A Black Woman
It has taken me weeks to start writing this piece. To sit down and write openly about my experiences in the healthcare system as a Black woman with chronic pelvic pain is to pick at...
The Dark and Racist History of Gynecology
An oath to do no harm applies to some but not to all. Gynecology has a shameful history of racism. To anyone that has been paying attention, 2020 brought late but much-needed awareness and attention...
7 Ways To Create A More Period Inclusive Workplace
As I’m writing this, I’m ironically and fittingly bleeding ferociously on my break from work. I'm sandwiched between two flax seed heat pads, waiting for my next piano student to arrive, as I try to...
The Importance of Celebrating Black Love
While 2020 was an important year for the fight in racial equality and upward social mobility, it was also incredibly difficult and traumatic. Black people had to watch their communities, families, and friends fight and...
Decolonizing The Pain Scale: Viewing Pain as Multidimensional and Non-Linear
Attempts at measuring pain, especially in the Western and European biomedical traditions which dominate medical systems in many countries, have continually fallen short. Especially when it comes to changing and healing bodies, in particular marginalized...
Why There Are Diagnostic Lapses for Pelvic Pain Conditions
When I first began researching chronic pelvic pain, I was blown away at how common these experiences were. I remember thinking back to those dreaded sex-ed classes in school and being angry—angry that there was no attention paid to pelvic pain when I now know the prevalence of the various conditions. ...
The Unfortunate History of Hysteria and Endometriosis
When I started my research into medical gaslighting and chronic pain, I was awestruck when a participant of my study explicitly mentioned the connection between hysteria and endometriosis. They explained to me that they were shocked to...