“Common” Is Not Normal - When ‘Endometriosis’ Is Your Body Asking for Help

How many of us have woken up one day and decided to become a women’s health advocate?🤷🏻 Of course, it is not something that happens overnight, or people even think about it. It happens slowly. It happens because you have suffered the same pain millions of women are suffering from. The story of “Pain to Power” is not new. Ivy, who is the founder of GRIP Connect has shared it earlier in 2025 as well. We are narrating the story of Ivy once again to raise awareness amongst the current generation of women and to handhold them saying “You are not alone”✊🏻

For Ivy, it started with periods that were brutal. Not “take a tablet and move on” pain. The kind that makes you lie still and wait for your body to cooperate. The kind that drains you before the day even begins. Fatigue that doesn’t go away after sleep. A body that feels unreliable.

You still try. You go to work. You show up for your family. You promise yourself you’ll exercise tomorrow. But some days, you just can’t get out of bed. Not because you don’t want to. Because your body won’t let you. All you want to do is lie in a fetal position and pray for the pain to go away.

And that’s when people also start talking. They say things you genuinely don’t want to hear. Things like

“It’s common.” “It happens to everyone.” “Just tolerate it.” “Don’t think too much.”

Doctors say it because they see it every day. Elders say it because they were taught to accept pain quietly. But what no one tells you is that “common” does not mean “normal”. And it definitely does not mean “harmless”.

Ivy’s body kept sending signals. Loud ones. And still, it took years. One surgery. Then another. Met tons of OB-GYN doctors. Two abdominal laparoscopies. And finally, a hysterectomy, which was kindly cradled through by waves of gentle grieving.

Five surgeries only on the abdomen. Her body went through a lot, a level of physical strain most people can’t imagine. And this does not include those not on the abdomen. But the hysterectomy is a much needed procedure, otherwise, she will never regain life.

But, each time, she always held onto hope. She thought this would be the end. Maybe life will feel light again. But recovery takes more than stitches. Anesthesia leaves behind brain fog. Pain changes how you think. Healing costs money. Rest costs independence and sacrifice. People see you differently and you have to navigate your boundaries and transform the way you think.

You hear comments from your close ones that stay with you longer than the pain.  “You’re always unwell.”  “You used to be so active.”  “You don’t look sick.”

Invisible illness is lonely. You start missing things. Work. Social plans. Family moments. You feel guilty for cancelling. You feel bad for needing help. You feel worse for wanting your old self back.

Endometriosis doesn’t just hurt your body. It sits in your mind too. When pain repeats month after month, anxiety follows. It creates fear. When hormones are unstable, emotions are too. When your uterus is removed, it’s not just a surgery. It’s grief, relief, confusion, and silence all mixed together.

And no one. Literally no one prepares you for that part.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Ivy spoke about her journey many times. many months, but this March feels different. It’s a walk back through memory. No, we are not trying to reopen wounds. All we want to say is what wasn’t said enough.

Endometriosis affects millions of women. Diagnosis takes years. Many are told it’s normal. Live with it. With years it will get better. And sadly, women start doubting themselves. Many suffer quietly because they’re tired of explaining or receive unsolicited remarks about pregnancy and even abilities to be women.

If you’ve ever planned your life around your cycle. If you’ve ever cancelled because your body was in too much pain. If you’ve ever been told it’s “just hormonal.” If you’ve ever felt weak for needing rest.

You’re not imagining it. It is not in your head. The pain, and the suffering is very much real.

From Pain to Power

For Ivy, the transition from a patient to a powerhouse didn’t happen overnight. It happened when she decided that her hysterectomy wouldn't be an "end," but a beginning. She realized that while surgery could remove an organ, it didn't automatically heal the mental scars or the hormonal rollercoasters that follow a lifetime of autoimmune struggles.

This is where the coaching and advocacy comes in. Ivy recognized that women don’t just need surgeons; they need mentors who have walked through the same pain to walk beside them. She became a voice for those battling Endometriosis, Autoimmune Diseases, and Mental Distress, with a special heart for how these issues ripple down to our children and youth.

She understood that when a woman is in pain, her whole world feels the vibration. By advocating for women’s health, Ivy is fighting for the daughter who won't have to wait ten years for a diagnosis and the mother who won't have to choose between her health and her wants, goals, and life.

🎗️This March, that power turns into action🎗️

A large endometriosis awareness event, Wear Yellow SG EndoMarch 2026 is being held in March 2026. Ivy is supporting this initiative to create as much awareness as possible so women don’t have to suffer the way she did. So younger women recognize the signs earlier. So, pain is questioned, not dismissed. 

You don’t need to wait for your body to break to be taken seriously. You don’t need to suffer to be strong. And you don’t need permission to care about your health.

This is Ivy’s story. But if it feels familiar, that’s exactly the point.

Follow Ivy on LinkedIn, and GRIP Connect and E4endoSg on Instagram to stay updated about the event. You can also read more about the EndoMarch 2026 event and how to get tickets