The Uterus Monologues: By Jo Barry
I was ten years old when I first felt it – the kind of pain that makes you curl into yourself, wondering if this is what dying feels like. Back then, I didn’t even know what a period was, let alone understand that my body was giving me the first warning signs of endometriosis. But that moment marked the beginning of a journey that would shape not just my life but my mission to change how we think about women’s health.
Here’s a number that should shock you: one in seven women lives with endometriosis. Actually, hold that, now they’re saying it’s more like one in four. Let that sink in. Now, here’s another number: $7.7 billion. That’s how much endometriosis costs Australia annually in medical expenses and lost productivity. Yet, somehow, this condition remains shrouded in silence, misconception, and chronic underfunding.
The Pain Olympics: A Game No One Should Have to Play
For years, I thought it was normal to bleed for ten days straight, to feel like my insides were being shredded by invisible claws. “It’s just bad period pain,” doctors would say, their dismissive tones becoming as familiar as the monthly torture I endured. Meanwhile, I’d hear other women talk about their periods – brief, manageable, almost an afterthought. I began to realise that what I was experiencing wasn’t just “unlucky”; it was unacceptable.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (But the System Might)
Let’s talk about money – because in healthcare, funding tells you exactly how much society values your pain. In the 2024-25 Australian Federal Budget, men’s health initiatives received specific, targeted funding. The Men’s Sheds movement, for instance, secured $6.1 million for mental health support. Meanwhile, women’s health was allocated a broad $53.6 million over four years, with no specific breakdown for conditions like endometriosis.
When Your Body Becomes a Battlefield
My personal war with endometriosis escalated through multiple surgeries, including a radical hysterectomy that thrust me into menopause overnight. The dream of motherhood vanished with it. But sometimes, it’s in our darkest moments that we find our purpose.
During one particularly brutal recovery period, as I lay surrounded by disposable heat packs and ineffective pain management tools, an idea began to form. What if there was a better way? What if we could create something that actually understood what women with endometriosis need?
From Pain to Innovation
That’s how rae was born – not in a boardroom, but in the midst of my own healing journey. After three years of development with Melbourne’s leading tech experts, countless safety tests, and a refusal to compromise on quality, we created something I wish I’d had during those endless nights of pain: a wearable heat device.
But rae isn’t just about heat. It’s about acknowledgment. It’s about saying, “We see you, we hear you, and your pain matters.” It’s about creating solutions when the medical establishment fails to provide them.
The Revolution Will Be Medicalised
The gender health gap isn’t just about numbers – it’s about lives disrupted, careers derailed, and dreams deferred. Consider this: 62% of women with endometriosis report missing work or school due to their symptoms. Many clinical trials, including those for common pain medications, have historically excluded women from their studies. We’re literally being left out of the equation when it comes to our own health.
Breaking the Silence, Building the Future
The path forward isn’t just about better products or more funding – though we desperately need both. It’s about fundamentally changing how society views and values women’s health. It’s about refusing to accept pain as our destiny and silence as our inheritance.
I created rae because I had to. Because somewhere out there, a ten-year-old girl is experiencing her first crushing wave of period pain, and she deserves better than what I had. She deserves to be heard, to be believed, and to have access to better period self-care.
The change starts now. And it starts with all of us refusing to be quiet about our pain any longer
Jo Barry is the owner of Scarlet Period and creator of the rae Heat Pad. After her personal journey with endometriosis, she dedicated herself to creating practical solutions for women’s health issues.