Happy to be pain-free
- Wits University
For years, Gontse Mabaso lived with severe pain that many dismissed as normal for ‘some women’.
However, her discomfort extended beyond painful periods.
Visits to the clinic and the doctor always yielded the same response.
“’It’s normal’, they would say, but as I grew older, I knew that this can’t be normal,” says Mabaso.
It wasn’t until Mabaso started her internship and had some income that she finally understood what was happening.
“My first salary went towards going to a private clinic for a pelvic scan.”
It was here that the doctor diagnosed her with fibroids, which is a non-cancerous growth in or around the womb that can cause heavy bleeding, pain, and pressure. Some women with fibroids also report frequent back pain and bloating, depending on the size and location of the fibroids.
In Mabaso, this condition also presented with body changes.
“At some stage, I was scared to touch my belly because I could feel there’s something –lumps. I couldn’t sleep on my tummy. I felt like I was pregnant even though I have never been pregnant. My body was changing in front of me.”
The fibroids diagnosis came as a relief for Mabaso, then 24-years-old, and she was referred to a clinic in the public sector. It took eight months before she could undergo surgery, an experience that really opened her eyes to the long waiting list for theatre, but also revealed to her that there are many more women with her condition.
When she finally got the news that she would be going to theatre, she then started worrying about whether she could afford to take time-off as an intern. She would need four weeks to recover and was scared of losing her work opportunity.
Encouraged by the support that she had received from her office supervisor, Dr Ruth Castel-Branco at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, when first immobilised by pain, Mabaso informed her supervisor of the operation and recovery period.
She says, Dr Castel-Branco was very supportive, giving her one less thing to worry about.
In April 2026, Mabaso underwent an open myomectomy, a surgical procedure to remove fibroids while leaving the uterus intact. Recovery was difficult, involving considerable physical pain and even learning to walk comfortably again.
The surgery left a large scar, something that is hard to swallow for a 20-something, but Mabaso says it’s a small trade-off for being pain-free.
Her experience has also strengthened her belief that women's reproductive health needs greater attention and funding, particularly for women without medical aid. She now encourages women and girls experiencing persistent period pain to seek answers rather than allowing others to normalise their pain.
Staff Wellness Week has offered Mabaso one more step in her recovery: access to a chiropractor, something she wanted after surgery but could not afford.
“There’s just been tension in my body, and I felt like I need a release,” she says.
Aftercare advice following surgery and access to physiotherapy, as well as to complementary health services such as a chiropractor, also require attention, Mabaso believes.
After years of living with pain, months of waiting for surgery, and a difficult recovery, Mabaso is looking forward to simply enjoying life as a young woman. She is also grateful that, since being appointed as a research assistant at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies – a place that treated her with compassion when it mattered.
She begins this new chapter as a recent graduate, having received her Master’s in Inequality Studies just a month after her surgery. Her new role involves collecting data on the social, economic and political issues facing South Africans, with the aim of deepening our understanding of inequality and contributing to research that can inform policies and interventions that improve people’s lives. Her own experience has shown her how inequality can shape something as fundamental as access to healthcare.