A self-reflection of my personal understanding of pain, treatment, and medical examinations, The Cause is Unknown illustrates my lived experience of menstruation. 

Through material exploration and printmaking processes, the prints demonstrate the need to communicate my story and make my suffering visible after years of medical neglect. The cyclical, repetitive nature of printmaking mirrors the experience of repeatedly seeking help, and of the menstrual cycle itself.

The collection of prints invites viewers to share their own experiences of menstruation in order to connect with each other, and to challenge the normalisation of menstrual struggles.

I was advised to track my symptoms in a diary to document the severity of my experience. I endure excruciating period pains that can cause me to pass out, heavy blood flow with different sized clots, and even have varying degrees of pain outside of my periods. 

I've lived with this for over 15 years and was dismissed when I was younger due to my age. It felt like I wasn't believed, that I was exaggerating my experience, imagining it, and told I would get used to it. I've tried several methods of hormonal contraceptives, over the counter and prescribed painkillers as treatment. Some worked better than others at stopping my periods and pains, but they inevitably return. I've had countless examinations, cervical screenings, abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds, only to be told nothing is wrong. 

In 2025 I was finally put on a waiting list for a diagnostic laparoscopy to check for endometriosis and I'm still awaiting surgery. Earlier this year, halfway through the project, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis via pelvic ultrasound. I was told "the cause is unknown". All of these experiences served as research to inform the project's process and outcomes.