21 days of menstrual bleeding; dismissed by doctors. This is how she reclaimed her body

A two-year battle with reproductive health issues became Claudia Chua’s greatest awakening. She opens up about how the experience led to the creation of her athleisure label and a femtech app empowering women to better understand their bodies

Photo: Angela Guo
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When Claudia Chua, 32, visited the doctor in 2023, she assumed she was unwell with a common cold. However, the doctor took one look at her and said, “You’re too pale for someone with just the flu.”

While nutritional deficiencies were initially suspected, Claudia had consistently maintained a healthy diet and had no prior abnormalities in her bloodwork, ultimately ruling out that explanation.

Claudia was diagnosed with anaemia during her first hospitalisation in March 2023, but the underlying cause of her heavy menstrual bleeding remained unclear for several months. Despite being prescribed a wide range of treatments, including birth control pills, hormonal injections, and medications, the bleeding persisted.

It wasn’t until around five months later that doctors identified a 2.1cm fibroid, first detected during her initial hospitalisation, as the likely cause. Even with this diagnosis, Claudia found herself struggling to be understood – conversations with multiple doctors felt frustratingly misaligned. Many dismissed her concerns, insisting the fibroid was “too small to create an issue”.

She eventually underwent surgery to remove it in August 2023. However, the relief was short-lived – by December, the bleeding resumed, and she was re-hospitalised in January 2024. This time, doctors discovered multiple smaller fibroids.

“I had no idea what ‘heavy bleeding’ meant in medical terms. Growing up, we’re told period pain is normal. Heavy bleeding during the first few days of your period is normal. So I never questioned my symptoms,” she shares.

Claudia had overlooked 21 days of heavy bleeding, assuming it was a typical part of the menstrual cycle. But the symptoms had been there all along: crippling fatigue, breathlessness, frequent cravings for ice due to low iron levels, and such heavy menstrual bleeding that she often stood all day, too afraid to sit down for fear of staining the furniture.

Previously working in the corporate tech sector, Claudia was ultimately forced to leave her job due to the severity of her heavy bleeding.

“I didn’t know anyone going through the same thing. There were no case studies, no recovery stories, and certainly no roadmap for functioning through the constant fear of public bleeding,” she says.

Claudia Chua fought a two-year battle with reproductive health issues, which inspired the launch of her athleisure brand and the making of a women’s health app

Photo: Angela Guo
“I didn’t know anyone going through the same thing. There were no case studies, no recovery stories, and certainly no roadmap for functioning through the constant fear of public bleeding.”

Creating a body positive journey

Claudia was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, medically known as uterine leiomyomas — non-cancerous growths that typically develop during the childbearing years. In her case, the fibroids are multiple and recurring, which complicates treatment.

This places her condition within the broader category of uterine fibroid disease, a chronic gynaecological issue that can significantly affect a woman’s quality of life.

Although surgery provided temporary relief, the condition remains ongoing. Fibroids can regrow or new ones may develop, especially in women who are still menstruating. Uterine fibroids are surprisingly common, affecting an estimated 70 to 80 per cent of women by the age of 50, though many do not experience symptoms.

However, her fibroids were symptomatic and disruptive. While a hysterectomy was considered, doctors advised against it due to her young age and the potential for future regret.

Instead, she is currently managing the condition with a hormonal cycle treatment regimen designed to slow fibroid growth and regulate bleeding. Even so, the possibility of recurrence remains, making this a long-term journey of monitoring, maintenance, and adapting to the body’s changes over time.

Since then, Claudia has been open about how her life has unfolded in the wake of her health crisis – what was once marked by shame has become a source of strength and purpose for her.

The impact of fibroids extended well beyond physical symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, bloating, and anaemia. The condition didn’t just disrupt her cycles – it eroded her sense of self, affecting her identity, femininity, and confidence.

She gained over 10kg in just a few months, and the rapid changes left her feeling like a stranger in her own skin. Her once-bold wardrobe, filled with vibrant colours and figure-hugging silhouettes, no longer felt like her own.

Each outfit became a reminder that she no longer fit the version of herself she had once dressed for. Clothes that once empowered her now left her feeling exposed and self-conscious. Unfortunately, this emotional weight is rarely addressed in medical conversations.

“I wore loose-fitting black outfits every day, ‘just in case’, and restricted myself to staying within my neighbourhood,” recounts Claudia.

This inspired her to develop and launch her own activewear line, LOOKWHOWEARWHAT, in 2024.

She says the brand’s goal is to create an activewear wardrobe that evolves with its customers, offering flattering silhouettes in a variety of colours that reflect different moods, occasions, and expressions of self.

Having been active from a young age, dabbling in everything from volleyball and running to contortion, aerial arts, pole, and yoga, Claudia wanted to design pieces that empower women to feel strong, seen, and self-assured, even when their bodies are navigating the toughest seasons.

“Our pieces are designed to contour and sculpt, enhancing what’s already there. They support without restricting, flatter without forcing, and create a visual illusion of length, curves, and flow – so you feel confident, comfortable, and effortlessly put-together,” she says.

“It’s about partnering with your body, even when it’s messy, tired, or not behaving the way you want it to. It’s about building a lifestyle that is respectful, realistic, and rooted in kindness.”

Bringing menstrual health to light

Menstrual health goes far beyond fibroids, encompassing a spectrum of conditions, each with its own physical and emotional challenges.

Examples include endometriosis, which causes intense pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, and sometimes infertility; polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – which can lead to irregular periods, acne, excess hair growth, weight gain, and fertility struggles; and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) – a severe form of PMS that brings mood swings, depression, irritability, and fatigue. Iron-deficiency anaemia – often a silent consequence of prolonged heavy bleeding – results in exhaustion, weakness, and shortness of breath.

Yet many women suffer without a formal diagnosis, enduring irregular cycles, hormonal imbalances, digestive issues, emotional volatility, and sexual discomfort – symptoms frequently brushed off or normalised.

Despite support from friends and loved ones, Claudia realised that the real problem wasn’t just what was happening in her body, but the silence and stigma surrounding it.

In 2025, she launched SilentConvo, a women’s health app now in beta testing, to help women track their symptoms, understand their bodies, and, most importantly, find the language to articulate what they’re going through.

Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, the app prioritises lived experiences and emotional context. It also seeks to bridge a crucial gap by integrating insights from both Western and Chinese medicine, an area Claudia feels is still largely overlooked in mainstream health tech.

“It was the emotional trauma of unpredictability [that inspired SlientConvo], of feeling invisible in a system that couldn’t speak my language,” she says.

The app seeks to drive advocacy around menstrual health while also offering a safe platform for women to share their experiences. With features that prompt introspection and symptom tracking, the app is designed to catch red flags early, before they escalate into full-blown crises.

Claudia stressed that one of the biggest challenges many women face when visiting the doctor is the difficulty of articulating symptoms without the right medical vocabulary.

To address this, SilentConvo is developing a dataset built from real conversations within the app. By capturing the everyday language women use to describe their experiences, the app will eventually be able to “translate” these insights into clearer, more accurate communication for medical consultations.

Essentially, it’s like showing up to your doctor’s appointment with a curated glossary, equipped with the right words and a clear understanding, so you can articulate your concerns with ease.

Claudia believes that this will not only reduce the fear of being misunderstood but also support more precise diagnoses, minimising the need for costly second or third opinions, which many simply can’t afford in today’s economic climate.

Looking ahead, Claudia envisions a culture of open dialogue, education, and empowerment from as early as primary school, where girls learn to understand the language of their bodies and grow up confident in asking questions, sharing their experiences, and embracing their health journeys without fear or shame.

“It’s about partnering with your body, even when it’s messy, tired, or not behaving the way you want it to. It’s about building a lifestyle that is respectful, realistic, and rooted in kindness,” she says.

PHOTOGRAPHY Angela Guo
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng
HAIR & MAKEUP Benedict Choo, using Nars

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