BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — As the only female councillor in the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, Withney Smith-Currie is acutely aware that her duties go way beyond political representation for the Brompton Division.

Hence her decision to speak out on the excruciatingly painful female ailment endometriosis and other health conditions related to menstruation at the monthly meeting of the municipal corporation on March 9.

March is being marked as Endometriosis Awareness Month. March 17 was Endometriosis Day.

In a presentation to colleague councillors, municipal staff and journalists, Smith-Currie, who was elected in 2016 on the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) ticket, outlined in considerable detail the nature of endometriosis.

She also touched on other menstrual-related ailments including fibroids; and period poverty. The latter refers to the economic challenge for many women and girls to buy sanitary products in order to properly cope with menstruation.

Smith-Currie made a direct appeal at the meeting for initial contributions of $5,000 each from her colleagues to launch a programme to assist high school girls in need of material support.

She told the Jamaica Observer earlier this week that all her colleagues and a significant number of municipal corporation staff had made pledges.

In her presentation, Smith–Currie defined endometriosis as “a disorder in which tissues that normally line the uterus grows outside of the uterus…”

She echoed explanations from medical experts that “misplaced tissues most commonly occur in the abdomen or pelvic area, but can also be found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowels, intestines or anywhere in the body”.

Endometriosis is a long-term chronic condition and there is no cure.

“For some women, symptoms can stop them from doing their normal activities and may lead to feelings of depression and relationship difficulties. Endometriosis can happen in any girl or woman who has menstrual periods, but it is more common in women in their 30s and 40s. You might be more likely to get endometriosis if you have never had children,” Smith-Currie said.

The ailment affects 10 per cent of women and girls at reproductive age, globally. Experts say it can be difficult to treat.

“It is critical to understand the difficulties that people face when coping with endometriosis. The pain can be incapacitating, preventing them from working physically. Employees may need to take time off work, as a result of severe pain and other symptoms,” Smith-Currie said.

She told her audience of a study showing that “most women do not feel their symptoms are taken seriously. Many women believe their experiences of menstruation are normal often because of what they are told by their mothers, so they do not seek treatments.

“We were told to smile beyond our pains, we were told it’s not that bad, and we were told it’s OK. Some women living with endometriosis have described their pain as ‘someone crushing your reproductive organs’ or ‘worse than childbirth … like a knife being stabbed inside the abdomen’. It’s also compared to the pain felt when having a heart attack. A male description of being kicked in the ‘balls’ continuously was… a reference point for the pain felt by women. The pain women face with underlying issues such as endometriosis is comparable to migraine pain but in the pelvis, thighs and back…”

Endometriosis, described by consultant obstetrician gynaecologist Dr Ryan Halsall as the “thief” of women’s joy, is said to be among the more painful conditions linked to menstruation. Women who suffer, and medical experts, say its effects go beyond the menstruation period.

“Chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, painful sex, and difficulty getting pregnant are some of the main features of the disease. Not to be left out are symptoms of chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, as well as painful passage of urine and stool. Relationships with friends and significant others are often strained, and jobs are difficult to keep. So, literally, (endometriosis) robs women of some of the best years of their lives,” Halsall wrote in the Observer early last year.

Smith-Currie told the Observer that checks with colleague councillors following her talk revealed that none had ever previously heard of endometriosis. She wasn’t surprised, she said, since she knew that men often felt ailments specific to women are not their business.

Smith-Currie told the meeting, “The onus is on me to raise this issue and bring awareness, but it will take a collective effort to bring the awareness necessary [for] real changes. We don’t talk about menstruation or period, fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ovarian cysts …. Women suffer in silence and suffer in pain. As a council, as a Government, and as a country, we must do more.”

Noting that some countries have instituted paid menstrual leave, Smith-Currie said she was not lobbying for such a step since “much more needs to be implemented to accommodate that kind of policy…”

Instead, she wants compassionate days off for those diagnosed as having conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids and PCOS.

“I’m taking a step to lobby for understanding, awareness, compassion and a policy that can reflect across the municipalities and ministries,” she said.

Smith-Currie gave personal testimony of having “experienced the worst pains imaginable from one of these chronic conditions. I remember as far back as high school not being able to function normally due to pain…”

She later told the Observer that in high school and at university she often ended up “curled up in a ball on the floor” when period pains took hold.

Very discomforting for her was that friends who had only mild pain, or none, during their monthly periods, could not fathom her reactions. Some even thought it reflected a low tolerance for pain on her part.

“A lot of people don’t understand, so they don’t show compassion and that’s where awareness comes in,” said Smith-Currie.

She believes women who suffer need to do more to ensure others understand the trauma they endure — having to rely on pain killers and lifestyle changes in order to cope.

The challenge, she says, is that women and girls are socialised at home from very early to stay silent.

Even in her case, she told the Observer, she “paused” before deciding to address the municipality on the challenges facing women, even though she knew she was doing the right thing. She got extra motivation from the recognition that disenfranchised women needed people like her to speak up for them.

She spoke of one woman who apologised to her for having spent time telling her about her menstrual challenges, but who then added that she had no one else to tell.

Smith-Currie also believes not enough research is being done to better treat and even resolve such issues as fibroids, PCOS and endometriosis.

Very satisfying for her has been the response to her efforts, so far.

She had received “tons” of positive messages from people who watched a video of her presentation on social media, she said.

Also, the leadership of the municipality circulated a memo urging staff to wear yellow clothing to mark Endometriosis Day (March 17). The response was overwhelming, she said.

“Persons were not only aware, they came out to show their solidarity,” Smith-Currie said.

Equally pleasing have been the monetary pledges to help impoverished girls and women.

At the municipality’s monthly meeting, she told her audience of a “comprehensive plan” she was developing to help high school students “who can’t afford to buy sanitary napkins, tampons” and appropriate medication.

“We can buy feminine products, and medication such as painkillers to assist poor students who can’t afford to buy monthly. These will be distributed across all high schools in St Elizabeth. Every one of us has a mother, sister, daughter, wife, girlfriend, aunt …so let’s join hands and hearts together to help our females,” said Smith-Currie.