Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser syndrome, also known as MRKH, is a congenital condition where females are born without a uterus and cervix. While it is a medical condition, the impact of it goes far beyond that. MRKH exists in a space where womanhood is still heavily connected to fertility, which can leave many people feeling isolated, misunderstood, or even ashamed after being diagnosed. Awareness around the condition is also still very limited, not only publicly but even within healthcare settings where patients are first learning about it themselves.
Living with MRKH: My Experience
As someone personally affected by MRKH syndrome, this project became deeply personal to me. I started seeing doctors at 16 after never getting my period, but I was not officially diagnosed with MRKH until I was 21. During those years I was constantly dismissed, misdiagnosed, and told to try different things including birth control before I had even seen my first gynaecologist. That experience showed me just how little awareness and understanding still exists around MRKH, even within healthcare spaces where patients are supposed to be receiving answers and support.
One of the biggest things I struggled with after being diagnosed was the lack of visibility and emotional support surrounding the condition. A lot of the information I came across felt extremely clinical and disconnected from the actual emotional experience of living with MRKH. I rarely saw conversations around it in public spaces, and I almost never saw representation that felt human or relatable. That experience became a huge reason why I wanted to create this project.
Reimagining MRKH Awareness Through Design
The MRKH Awareness Project is an educational awareness campaign designed for medical clinics and public spaces to help inform both healthcare professionals and patients about MRKH in a way that feels more approachable, engaging, and emotionally understood. My goal was not only to educate people about the condition itself, but also to create something that could help people feel seen and supported in a way that I personally felt was missing.
One of the biggest parts of the project was changing the way medical awareness materials are usually presented. A lot of healthcare campaigns can feel cold, overwhelming, or purely informational, especially when discussing sensitive topics related to reproductive health. I wanted this project to feel different. I wanted it to encourage conversation rather than feel intimidating or overly clinical.
The visual identity of the campaign uses seedless fruit as a metaphor for MRKH. The idea came from wanting to represent the absence of a uterus in a softer and more approachable way while also reinforcing the idea that someone is still whole regardless of the condition. Each fruit is different, which reflects how every person with MRKH has their own experience. I paired the fruit with illustrations of girls of different ages to show the different stages of diagnosis, identity, and experience that can come with MRKH.
I also intentionally used bright colours and bold visuals throughout the campaign to move away from the cold feeling often associated with medical materials. I wanted the project to feel welcoming, visible, and easier for people to connect with emotionally. The campaign extends across posters, educational booklets, social media, wearable items, a website, awareness materials, and a trade show booth experience. Creating the project across multiple platforms allowed it to exist in both healthcare and everyday spaces instead of limiting the conversation to only clinical environments.
More Than a Campaign
For me, this project was about more than just creating a campaign. It was about turning a personal experience into something that could help other people feel less alone while also encouraging more awareness and understanding around MRKH. Design has the ability to start conversations, create emotional connection, and make difficult topics feel more human, and that is exactly what I hoped to achieve with this project.
I hope this project can continue creating space for dialogue, support, education, and visibility for people affected by MRKH syndrome and help push conversations around reproductive health and womanhood in a more open and understanding direction.
If you would like to learn more about the project, collaborate, or continue the conversation around MRKH awareness, feel free to reach out.
📌 Related Resources
- Instagram: @creativesbyhani
- Email: [email protected]
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/harleend
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Guest Student Author: Harleen Dhanda
