Devika lay curled up on her single bed in the small, neatly kept bedroom of her parents' modest two-story house in the quiet suburbs of Delhi. At 19, she was the perfect image of a conservative Indian girl—long black hair braided neatly, wearing a simple salwar kameez that covered her modest curves. Her face was flushed with pain, sweat beading on her forehead as another wave of cramps gripped her lower belly. This was only her third period in her life, and the pain had worsened dramatically this time. She whimpered softly, clutching the hot water bottle her mother had given her.

"Amma, it hurts so much..." she whispered.