Continence disorders often remain untreated due to societal stigma, says Birth Basix founder Sonali Santharam

She leaks a little when she laughs.

She avoids long car rides.

She quietly stops jumping on the trampoline with her kids.

And she tells no one.

Not her doctor.

Not her partner.

Sometimes, not even herself.

This is the silent epidemic Dr. Sonali Santharam just called out — loud, and on a public stage.

🎙️ The taboo nobody wants to name

On June 25, the founder of Birth Basix stood at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre and said the quiet part out loud.

Continence disorders aren't rare.

They're just hidden.

Buried under stigma. Brushed off as "normal after childbirth." Whispered about, never treated.

Here's what the data actually shows about Indian women and pelvic floor dysfunction:

💧 Urinary incontinence prevalence ranges from 10% to nearly 68% across studies
📊 A southern India study of 500 women found 45% with bladder dysfunction and 44% with bowel dysfunction
🚸 Roughly 1 in 5 women lives with some form of pelvic floor dysfunction
🤐 In rural surveys, 32% reported leaking — and none had sought help

Let that last one sit for a second.

Zero. Out of every woman who leaked.

Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre just opened a dedicated Pelvic Health Clinic — timed with Continence Care Week.

Not a side service. Not a sub-department.

A full clinic, built around the conditions women have been told to just live with:

The pitch is simple. You don't have to whisper about this anymore.

Same event. Same stage.

13 children with special needs were handed assistive devices under the Movement Mission initiative.

For some of them, it was the first time independent movement felt within reach.

One launch. Two messages.

Mobility for kids who were waiting on a wheelchair.

Dignity for women who were waiting on permission to speak.

Both groups were stuck in silence.

Both just got a door opened.

Stigma keeps people small.

Healthcare, done right, gives them their body back.

That's all for now!