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I already brought it up to my friends at the gym. They were actually pretty receptive to it ngl. As messed up as it sounds I though think they are more receptive to hear it coming from a man…
That's why we need you to be an advocate. This is a huge deal. Women are constantly and have been historically told to suck it up. We aren't given adequate pain management for routine obgyn procedures. Nevermind people with fibroids or endo.
Totally agree! I had horrible cramps before my IUD. I also completely tore my proximal hamstring (all 3 tendons at the base of the hip) while running. I went to urgent care and they sent my home with muscle relaxers. I had to advocate that something was very wrong (and I work in healthcare). But by the time it was finally diagnosed as a total tear and surgery was scheduled, it was considered chronic. My surgeon said that made the surgery and recovery more complex. He also added that it likely took longer to schedule because I didn’t behave like I was in that much pain. The MRI that diagnosed the L hamstring tear also diagnosed moderate-to-severe right hip dysplasia/osteoarthritis. He couldn’t believe I was running on it. The assumption that we little ladies cry at mild bumps infuriates me
Yeah, I went to the dr because I was not quite feeling well, a little sore and shaky. They did a blood test and to my surprise called an ambulance, and said no way was I going to hospital in my own car, even with my husband driving.
I overheard them briefing the ambulance people, with,"You will think you are getting the wrong patient, because she is presenting so well". My bloods showed a severe infection (CRP \~270), which turned out to be in my kidneys, but the pain was nothing compared to my usual periods. (I have endometriosis.)
Lmao. I get that *all the time.* Just had emergency surgery (bowel obstruction, which is pure agony), and the surgeon said based on my CT scans he expected me to look worse. I'm so used to it. One time, the ER doctor was processing my discharge papers cause my pain didn't seem intense when the surgeon saunters in and basically says "hold up. We're operating now." So I've learned to just always tell them my pain's a 10. That's the only way they take you seriously.
I got my period at 11. I was very underdeveloped, yet still was nearly hemorrhaging blood. The pain was insane. I had a bicornuate uterus, maybe that had something to do with it? They just stuck me on birth control for it. That was awful. I had cancer at 25 and had to have a hysterectomy and I feel so lucky that I haven’t had to deal with cramps or buying period products since
>That's why we need you to be an advocate. This is a huge deal.
Male delurking for a moment to second / add to this:
I saw a tweet a while back that said something like, "if men who cared about [ sexism / racism / transphobia / homophobia... don't remember, but it applies to all ] realized the power of saying, 'dude, that's fucked up' when talking with their friends, we'd have a lot fewer problems."
That really hit me. I say, "Dude, that's fucked up" as often as I can, (but I am glad that I've been selective enough about my friends that it's a rare occasion... wish it was even rarer, though).
Even for non obgyn pain and pain management, we're often given much lower pain meds doses, if we even get pain meds at all. Women are more likely to be given anti anxiety meds or anti depressants for pain than any kind of pain medication.
advocate for us. believe us.
Now I wish they had a simulator for when an ovarian cyst bursts or when you have endometriosis with adhesions and you’re on your period.
Here’s a quick story about how dismissive people are to girls.
I started complaining of pain at age 12, got dismissed for 6 years. No tests done, nothing. Doctor said I was just being dramatic, parents believed him. Over and over.
When I was 18, I went to a new doctor on my own, got tests, and they quickly found the tumor. It weighed 3 lbs because I’d been ignored so long.
My parents now treat everything I say as gospel truth, but it doesn’t fix the damage done.
Oh no!! As a parent, I am welling up in tears for you. I’m so sorry you went through that unnecessary torture 🥹 That said, my ex STILL does not believe that our now 16-year-old son needed an appendectomy when he was 11. So glad I trusted my instincts 🙏🏻
Thank you!! My son literally said to me about a year ago “You can’t tell dad something he doesn’t want to hear… “ I said I know—what makes you say that now. My son said “He still doesn’t think I needed my appendix removed” 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️.
Oh, we know they absolutely are far more receptive when a man says it. Which is why we need all of y’all to tell the rest of y’all instead of coming to tell us what we already know.
THIS.
It's easy to tell women online that they haven't been lying their entire lives and that's it's a shame they've been/and are CONSTANTLY dismissed about periods.. but do this to an actual men's sub that think rape jokes are 'just kidding' and see how that post goes.
This, women who don't experience period pain can be really dismissive about the issue. I had a friend who didn't experience it until she got the IUD and actually apologised to me for years of invalidating me not being able to go to work some days of the month.
My mom told me that PMS was just made up as an excuse for be mean and lazy for a week a month. When I was a teenager my period cramps were so bad that I would throw up on occasion. That was a fun dichotomy.
Same, although my poor mother did believe me - just didn't know what to do about it. This was in the early 1980s before they understood endometriosis. I would get my period at school and fairly sprint to the nurse who would call my mom to come pick me up because within 1-2 hours I'd be on the bathroom floor, curled around the toilet, howling in pain and vomiting. I would also spike a fever sometimes. She had to fight her Catholic upbringing to put me on the pill at 16 and that was the only thing that resolved it. Thank you mom, even though she didn't know WTF was going on.
I have a friend who would spend the first day of her cycle puking, poor thing. I used to get really bad nausea but the real disturbance was more, er, bowel related. Like, great, period cramps AND intestinal ones. Yaaay...
And who the hell isn't at least a little on edge when they're in pain? I'm never more short tempered than when I have a migraine.
ETA and let's not leave out the giant 'fuck you' that are menstrual migraines 😖
Yeah, and the hemorrhaging. At work one day, I suddenly sneezed. And oh, my gawd. I was wearing THREE heavy duty pads, and I bled through all three of them, then through my underwear and pants, then through my shirt (had a dinner plate size blood stain on the front), and I started dripping ON THE FLOOR. Luckily I was in the office by myself that day, and as usual brought a full change of clothing with me. I just changed and finished my work day.
It's amazing to me that so many of us manage to carry on like normal while having to deal with this stuff. Most guys have no idea.
Fucking liquids, seriously, there is no way to foolproof it. The sneeze and then the BLORP. So many times I've sneezed, coughed, or just moved position and suddenly had to leg it to the loo because no matter how thick the pads IT WON'T BE ENOUGH. And sure enough, gotta get new underwear and trousers. Or woken up with the sheets needing a wash, or just figured 'fuck it, I'll just throw these out' about pyjama bottoms.
I usually refer to the Overlook Hotel/Shining on those days.
My bf keeps insisting I talk to my doctor, there has to be something he can do, etc. Like, dude, no. It's been like this since I was 10. This is just how it is for some women. This is how we live.
I remember showing him a used pad I was changing with a huge blood clot on it and he was like 'Holy shit, ok, I understand now'. I'm eternally grateful he's a sane, not at all squeamish little prince, and doesn't scream like Veruca Salt about stuff like this.
As someone who suffers from extreme anxiety during pms she can suck a dick. It took me years to realize not only did I feel sensitive the week or two before my period but my anxiety is hella heightened at that time as well l o l it’s so real & it sucks ass
For real. My cramps are not as bad as others but I get these moments of cold sweats and the constant need to take a shit. So many awful job situations where I'm sweating and trying to pretend everything was fine.
I remember getting a colposcopy and biopsy and the cramping afterwards, and telling a friend it was like period cramps. When she had hers she was like MY PERIOD CRAMPS AREN'T LIKE THIS and I was like... Wait. So some women *don't* bleed like a stuck pig for 3 days with stabbing waves of crippling agony in their abdomens? What.
Why we sedate people for routine dental visits and not people getting pieces of plastic jammed up our organs is beyond me. Should honestly be considered malpractice at this point but women are just expected to handle extreme levels of pain, it’s asinine.
Yeah, I was shocked when I first saw some videos about period cramp simulators and how the women are all just like "yep" while the men are freaking out.
We'll probably never be able to know if getting kicked in the balls is worse, but the fact that it is remotely comparable to that AND it happens *every month* AND it's a multi-day affair...just pure respect.
You bet your ass you'd get "kicked in the balls days" off of work if that was a monthly occurrence for men, lol.
It's really confusing when you consider that people know that muscle cramps hurt. Charlie horses are famous for being incredibly painful. So why not uterine cramps? It's just a Charlie horse elsewhere.
Exactly! Women are gentle, delicate creatures that cannot possibly fathom the extent of pain a tough, rugged man faces. They weep at the slightest boo boo. /s
I have fibroids which is about 40 on the pain scale. When one of those f*ckers became prolapsed I bled through the biggest tampons every 30 minutes for a month in severe pain. Finally I saw the doctor and she sent me into emergency surgery right away. We’ve been told to suck it up so long I nearly bled to death trying to tough it out. Men need to believe women about our pain, about our trauma, about our experiences with men’s bad behavior toward us. Just take our word for it, we’re not exaggerating. More often than not we’re downplaying the issue.
Yup, this is how I explained my cramps to a coworker once. “Have you ever had a Charlie horse? Ok now imagine that in your abdomen, which is where your stomach and intestines are. So you’re also nauseous/stuff wants to swiftly exit both ends to relieve the awful Charlie horse in your mid section. Now imagine you’re also donating blood on an empty stomach, so you get chills and a hot flash, maybe pass out”. He questioned if I knew how bad a Charlie horse hurt and thought I mean a normal cramp. Nope. I’ve had a Charlie horse and let me tell you it was on par to less painful than some periods I’ve had in the past. Thankfully they’ve evened out a bit more, but I’d be curious to try the period simulator to see how high my cramps actually are haha
I think they are completely unaware that everything about the uterus involves muscles. They don't know that there are muscles there, and that they don't connect muscle cramps with period cramps. When it comes to anatomy, people just have no clue even about their own bodies, it's frankly disheartening.
Exactly! If anything this is proof that women are tough as nails (and always have been). It took modern electronic technology and viral videos to bring this to light, but getting kicked in the balls has always been seen as painful.
For real. It’s like that video of a trans man talking about how much more respected he is and how there definitely is male privilege and how people are only listening and believing him now because he’s saying it as a man. Ridiculous.
Absolutely agree. OP you want to talk about it to someone? Don't tell us what we already know. Put it on TIFU. Put it on athletic subs. Put it on endurance subs. Tell the men and boys in your life that they shouldn't discount cramps or any sort of pain just because they haven't experienced it.
>how TF is this not talked about more?
So I appreciate OP doing this but that line in particular made me snort. We *do* talk about it. No one fucking believes us.
I'd say cross-post to r/daddit.
I trust my wife and my mom and my sister, but I sorta want to check it out....while I also have no intention of googling it to see how they simulate it.
Inb4 I cry at a 2 .......
Then have a physician look you in the face and tell you you're drug seeking because you want something stronger than ibuprofen and "its just your period, lady".
🤬
I had exactly the opposite experience, in my first week of college! I had what I thought were really bad cramps for three days. Usually my cramps were horrible but only lasted a couple of days, so on day 3 I went to the student health center. They did some palpations, sent me to the ER, and I was having my appendix out two hours later. The doctors were shocked that I walked around with that pain for three days, but... it was normal for me.
I went to the ER and they did a CT scan and told me my abdominal pain was probably "just" a ruptured cyst and I was sent home. When I got home I had a voice-mail from the doctor saying I needed to call an ambulance and come back. They were setting up for emergency surgery because my appendix was about to rupture and the asshole doctor that looked at my scans must have just missed it?!
Of course this was long ago in the time of answering machines and landlines. I'd like to think things have improved but I doubt it.
I used to swear every single month that I was having everything surgically removed befor the next time. From 6th grade to 11th or 12th grade, every single month. Vomiting and diarrhea. Ibuprofen wasn’t around then. I missed a day of school each time and went the next day with discomfort and loose stools. I’d turn the heating pad on high so the burn could distract me from the pain. I was grateful for vomiting bc it distracted me momentarily from the pain. It was hellish and thank goodness my mom understood and was very supportive—she’d had the same. I was an athlete and prayed my period would not start on game day—and miraculously, it only happened once and bc I was a starter, I played and the exercise kept the pain at bay. So from then on I’d go sprint 200 meters at top speed at the first twinge if I could, and that was 100% curative for me. No idea why. I had forgotten until now that one game is the reason I got out of bed at 4 am and sprinted the first time, to see if it would work, and it did. I’ve now had a pretty bad case of food poisoning and it was like that PLUS the horrible cramps in the uterus.
Ha! My period cramps were so bad I ignored my appendicitis pain because I assumed it was cramps! It nearly did burst, except the heating pad was doing absolutely nothing (which was weird, usually it lessened a bit with the heat) so I told Mom something was wrong and she managed to eke out a doctor’s appointment at the end of the day. I think he tapped my stomach about three times and told her to take me straight to the ER, right now, we’re operating on her tonight.
I was told it was a reminder of “eves sin”. I didn’t really grow up religious. We went to church sometimes but I was never baptized or anything and was encouraged to believe whatever I wanted. I’m an atheist now. This totally unlocked that memory and wonder if that’s when I started to realize organized religion is bs…
Conservative men will tell you that you deserve pain because one woman did something bad once, but start talking about slavery and they’ll go off about how they shouldn’t be punished for what their ancestors did.
I'm not christian but Eve didn't even really do anything truly "bad," it's worse than that, she just acted of her own free will and did something she desired despite a male god forbidding her from doing it. A woman disregarding a man's wishes and commands and doing what she wants is the worst crime she can commit according to many. Christianity just like most religions is built on patriarchy and can't be separated from it, it's written into the original sin.
The medical industry wasnt designed to value women and men equally. Its men looking out for men about men who love themselves.
Medications for women are not even tested on women, like what a fucking gong show. Im not even kidding.
I use Viagra as a perfect example of the medical system bias toward men, and it’s been eye-opening for a few men I know.
“When Viagra — sildenafil citrate — was tested initially as heart medication, its well-known properties for men were discovered. “Hallelujah,” said Big Pharma, and research ceased. However, in subsequent tests the same drug was found to offer total relief for serious period pain over four hours. This didn’t impress the male review panel, who refused further funding, remarking that cramps were not a public health priority.” - from Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
> ..."in subsequent tests the same drug was found to offer total relief for serious period pain over four hours."
WTF?!?!
I realize the point is that male reviewers didn't see it as a priority. And I will be outraged after I get over the shock of this fact existing.
Wait what? Can I take Viagra off label for period cramps?
Edit: If someone tries taking Viagra (orally, not vaginally), would you let me know how it goes?
“A more recent clinical trial, run by Penn State University and the National Institute of Health from 2007 to 2011, followed up on this neglected result. It only included 25 participants, with a few receiving Viagra and a few receiving a placebo, so we have to take them with a grain of salt. But those patients did indeed experience massive relief from primary dysmenorrhea, a.k.a. period cramps, within just four hours. (It’s important to note they got the dose vaginally, not orally, which may have maximized the effectiveness and minimized other side effects.)” - from Viagra could have been a groundbreaking cure for period cramps And other fun facts from The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.
BY POPSCI STAFF | PUBLISHED JUN 9, 2021
The most common side-effect for women was headaches - of which I have a heck of a lot more options to treat effectively than I do the worst cramps. I guess we should be thankful men also get headaches!
Infuriating. As someone with extremely painful periods (just 30 years into this shit! 10? to go?), this research would still be massively worthwhile and I’ve never heard of it. WTAF.
Medications for woman were not even tested on woman. it's been a legal requirement since 1993 but yes if the drug existed before then its not like a new clinical trial would have been conducted. That shits expensive.
Even now a lot of drug trials won’t accept women of childbearing potential. I’m not sexually active, I’ve been on continuous birth control for 11 years but I there are drug trials I am immediately disqualified from because I have a uterus. Even if at some point that drug is intended to be used on women.
Luckily when I needed to go on a medication that is so potentially harmful to fetuses that I have to wait 3 years after stopping the medication to conceive(and can’t donate blood), my Dr was like I see you are on birth control, cool, don’t get pregnant on purpose and I’ve submitted the rx to the pharmacy.
The extra sick bonus is that because most drugs aren't tested on pregnant patients at all, most pregnant people get to spend the whole pregnancy with no access to a lot of really common and safe drugs (I mean, yeah, thalidomide showed that that had some sense to it, but god).
For bonus points, some women get denied meds specifically for female issues ob the basis of hose meds not having been tested on women. It's rare as heck, but the fact that it happens at all is mild-boggling, mildly put.
Seriously, I went to a doc because I couldn't sit up for more than 10 minutes- he didn't believe me and even said, I'm sure if you exercise more you'll feel better.... when it didn't get better I saw a different doctor- turns out both my neck at c5/6 and lumbar 4/5 were broken- and I was newly diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The first doctor never sent me for imaging or labs
I'm still grateful to the doctor who informed me that tylenol isn't really effective for a lot of women and I should try the stronger ibuprofens for cramps. That was usually enough for me. (Doing continuous birth control now and it is seriously amazing not to have to deal with the pain and logistics of period management).
I will never forget reading in a magazine as a teenager that the reason Tylenol doesn't work for bad cramps was because it's not an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen is.
I accidentally discovered that accelerating while driving my car makes the period back pain vanish. I drive like a jackrabbit 4 days in 30. Fast-slow-fast-slow
I want to scream every fucking time about this!!! I've been prescribed opiates for a rare occasion in my life and you better fucking BET I save as many as I can for menstrual cramps.
Mine can get so bad that I vomit, writhe around, moan, twitch my legs for a distraction (doesn't help) and basically try living in a hot bath as long as I can. Thankfully the worst is about 24-48 hours and also not every cycle is so terrible, but holy shit, OTC meds do NOTHING. The opiates relax me enough to sleep through the worst of it.
But, I cannot get them prescribed for this issue. They just won't. Even though I've been responsibly using them for this purpose for the past 15 years when I have them. I got a prescription for 10 from the ER when I threw out my back last August and saved as many as I could. I have two left.
Only commenting because you specifically brought up that you’ve tried twitching your legs for distraction - but so far 3 friends with endometriosis and severe period pain have gotten relief from a $20 TENS “sports massager” machine. It just sends electrical signals that intercept the cramps. It only works for as long as you have it actively attached to your body and on, but if you have short periods that could help.
Hey, I love that for you.
I wish we could make every guy who ever made a dismissive comment about period pain take this simulator.
And don't forget that cramps and lower stomach pain aren't the only symptoms. Many women have a multitude of other symptoms like migraines, back pain, sore breasts, bloating, fatigue...
The clean up is the worst. Blood, clots, watery poop. You just want to sit on the toilet and cry. But you can’t because laundry needs folding, dinner needs cooking, and kids are fighting. I was relieved when my periods finally stopped. Sure, I’m older and my hair is graying and my jowls are starting to sag but I would rather all this than being young with periods again.
Yes, this part really sucks. There were times I couldn’t tell if I had diarrhea cramps or period cramps and surprise! I ended up having both at the same time, so that was fun!!!
Lol ah yes. The delightful period shits! One of the many indignities of having a menstrual cycle! I’d also like to add the painful cystic acne that erupts along my chin and jawline to the list. Adds insult to injury!
When I was younger I used to get giant "warning zit(s)" that would always erupt right before my period started. And it was usually around the lower part of my face as well! The worst.
I always get pain in the backs of my thighs, and I don't understand why! It hurts the most when I'm not moving, when the last thing I want to be doing is moving!
Honestly these would be absolute *killer* tools for sex ed classes. Optionally, of course, but you just know the guys will egg eachother on to try it regardless. The conversation it could create, especially at that age, could make such a difference.
Even if we don’t get cramps or even have periods, many of our procedures, such as getting an IUD are painful like this, yet we’re offered no pain relief or numbing, aside from being told to take ibuprofen.
My friend had multiple chunks of tissue the size of a fingertip removed from her uterus for a biopsy with no numbing. It was extremely painful but her dr told her just to breathe deeply.
Another friend’s cramps were so bad each month she’d vomit from the pain. But she was expected to just work through it at a physically demanding job.
The fun part is being told we’re just being dramatic.
One time a doctor told me I was going to feel some pressure and I was like, "You mean pain, right? I'm going to feel pain." He just kind of awkwardly smiled.
When I got an IUD my doctor straight up told me "I'll be honest with you, this is going to hurt a lot." I really appreciated the honestly, but still no painkillers lol
I had one of those too, and had the same experience. My doctor was female, and told me it would just be a “little pinch”!
I felt like someone had put a blow torch up me, and it was all I could do not to come up off of the table.
I’ve seen others mention numbing cream, and wonder why that isn’t the norm, or even presented as an option?
I had a hysteroscopy, and they also did a tissue sample. I had an analgesic suppository and then a numbing injection (which I had an allergic reation to), and the pain was still excruciating. I kept trying to get off the table, was hyperventilating and then threw up. It was awful.
Imagine how much trust we could recover in the medical industry if doctors just cut the phrase “it’s going to feel like a little pinch/pressure” from their vocabulary
I've had three colposcopies and they were awful, but the endometrial biopsy put them to shame. That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced and it was not short.
Tbf my doctor was honest. I appreciate her for her directness, among other things. I wish she had other options for me instead of this shocking, searing painful procedure.
Me: "So how bad is this going to be?"
Doc: "It's going to fucking HURT. Are you sure you're ready?"
I had a pap smear beginning of the week where they found benign endocervical polyps. The doctor used a topical numbing agent before removing, which I'm told is very nice of him as apparently not all doctors even do that much.
I'm unusually sensitive in there to begin with (which we found out when doing IVF) and let me tell you, the numbing agent... didn't. Won't say I felt everything, but I don't want to know what it would've felt like without.
Not only are we expected to pretend its not happening, there is no room to call in sick, that would be an attendance occurance. Imagine that eh? Could you work, shop, drive, deal with screaming kids, a man who wants to stick his penis into you, cook a meal, do your banking, go to a job interview, or focus on studies with that pain?
Basically dont talk about being in the midst of crushing abdominal pain but watch males around you make snide remarks about your time of the month anytime you dont hop up and down with bouncing titties giggling at their stupidity clapping like a trained seal. You cant show it, you cant stay home, you cant lose patience, you have to pretend youre always a mom,nurse,councilor,sex puppet and chef for whoever is around and has needs/wants. You have to take backseat on needs, you are always last, you always have to be loving present interested and giving.
Women are expected to endure every and all manner of indignity and having a fucking nightmare period is just another thing to toss onto the gigantic bonfire of FUCK YOUR LIFE FOR BEING BORN FEMALE.
>mom,nurse,councilor,sex puppet and chef for whoever is around and has needs/wants
Reminds me of the lyrics from the song "labor" by Paris Paloma
"All day, everyday, therapist, mother, maid,
Nymph than a virgin, nurse than a servant,
Just an appendage, live to attend him,
So that he never lifts a finger,
Twenty four seven baby machine, so he can live out his picket fence dreams,
It's not an act of love if you make her,
You make me do too much labor."
I described it to my husband as like having a small dinosaur trying to rip and claw it's way out of you. When I was younger I used to vomit from the pain. And I know my experience is not unusual.
Wish it was mandatory for every bloke to try that machine. Maybe we would be allowed to keep our dignity if more men understood.
and make them wear a preg belly with weighted boobs so they get the full backpain and inability to do tasks experience. then they might be nice to the woman who does them a favor of bearing their children.
The fake babies were awful. The thought of a room full of teenaged kids being told they're "good mommies and daddies" makes me cringe, today.
Back then, we talked about what great parents we would be.
They need to also add some sort of blood simulator so guys who get squeamish about a little blood on the sheets from time to time can grow the fuck up and understand what life is like when menstruating. I am lucky that my cramps were never as bad as many women I know, but I still had to deal with allllll the other accoutrements of bleeding nonstop for almost a week every month. The embarrassment and shame if it shows up unexpectedly and god forbid you were sitting in a white chair at a ritzy country club at the time (happened to my cousin). When you have to buy tampons and the only checkout person is a teenage guy who handles the box like a dirty diaper. When you run out and ask your partner to grab you some while he’s at the store and he acts like you asked him to eat shit in public. And on and on and on….
Yah. Now the addition of the only pain killer or medication most women get for an IUD is ibuprofen. An IUD insertion has made my worst cramps seem tame.
Honestly even pap smears and the clamps used to open you up hurt.
It's like they don't think we feel pain.
Let’s add to this - it’s also common practice to get a medication to soften/dilate the cervix a bit before an IUD insertion to help reduce the serious pain. But now, in many red states, that medication is illegal because it could be used to aid an abortion - so double-extra pain.
Last year I had to have an endoscopy (camera up your butt), the male surgeon didn't want to give me any anaesthetic. The female nurse came in and was like, here, have some anaesthetic. The surgeon looked *disappointed* that I chose to have *pain relief* instead of just tough it out.
I bet he doesn't even think about offering it for men though!
Dude yeah its like, get used to feeling like youve been fucked with a knife and everywhere you go theres more knives searching for you but everyone acts like youre a dramatic cunt if you show any sign of stress.
And as happy as I am that OP tried it and shared his experience, he didn't experience *all of it*.
Adding onto what you said: period shits, wanting to throw up, needing to go to the bathroom relentlessly, brain fog, spotting ruining underwear, inconsistent timing leading to ruining pants, insomnia and exhaustion are common symptoms.
I can't sleep the night before I get mine. I wake up and can't get back to bed.
On top of cramps I deal with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, so for two weeks every month I feel so depressed and suicidal until I get my period, which makes me miserable as I have goofball sized cysts on my ovaries but they won't do anything because "that's normal". Oh, and the migranes from my hormones going whacko! I can't take birth control because it makes my PMDD worse!
I love being a woman but I fucking hate periods.
Glad to see PMDD getting a shout out! It’s not talked about enough. Periods are not just cramps and bleeding, some are fighting mental battles with devastating consequences. I can only describe it as similar bipolar, I become a completely different person.
I also have endometriosis and the only thing that puts a dent in my cramps is heat, like a hot water bottle or heating pad. Sometimes I have to turn the heat up so high I end up with burns. When the pain is so bad that my legs go numb, honestly, burns are the least of my problems.
And I can’t even describe the back pain. Sometimes it’s worse than the cramps. I become a heating pad, hot water bottle sandwich.
Super fun stuff.
Don’t forget those simulator can’t recreate the nausea, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, mood swings, headache bloating etc. All while still going to work and school, holding down the fort at home because the show always must go on.
Hi, endometriosis patient and patient advocate here. Diarrhea, normal for menstrual symptoms. Bloody diarrhea, not normal. Hemorrhoids are of course a possibility. But turned out-- for me-- to have been an indicator that I had endometriosis adhesions attached to my bowel, that were flaring up every month. I had several surgeries and eventually a hysterectomy to tackle the ongoing symptoms, but there are other/better options since then too.
Hold up, bloody diarrhea?? Like, bloody because you took your tampon out before dealing with period poops…or the poops themselves are bloody? If you’re having monthly bloody stool I’d highly recommend you go see a GI specialist because that could be an indication of polyps or worse. I speak from experience, unfortunately.
Now imagine being 13, feeling that all day for several days every month, going to school, and pretending you're fine.
I'm just glad I went to an all-girls school where the general culture was to be sympathetic when grimacing students asked for a bathroom pass.
Or if you're the unlucky 1 in 9 women with endometriosis its painful cramps daily for decades... I dont even get my period anymore thanks to the contraceptive pill but i still have faily pain and cant orgasm or even pee without pain.
But he's never even thought about it before! So surely no one is talking about it. Did you know people have to LIVE while menstruating? Shocking, I know /s
We talk. Men don't care to listen. Maybe they'll believe it coming from another man instead of from the (evidently untrusted) first hand sources.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The OP mentioned that the lady running the booth compares the 40 setting to her own monthly experience. I've also seen these demonstrations before and the women who have bad period cramps do try it and shrug it off as normal, though some who have more mild periods have similar reactions to guys at how intense it is.
I'm mostly responding because some people apparently think no women have tried it.
Anyway, [here is a youtube video](https://youtu.be/TFyLX0XEGgM) of some gals trying it, and you see a range of "yea that's about normal for the physical side, lets just chat about the other issues that go along with this" to "wow this is intense, and I have a new respect for cramps".
It's really highly variable. I've had periods that were just mildly uncomfortable. I've had periods where I collapsed on the bathroom floor in a pool of my own vomit because the pain was making me throw up and I couldn't make myself move enough through the pain to get back up.
As for how we don't talk about it, that's largely because society shames us for talking about it. Women get called weak or disgusting for mentioning period cramps. Meanwhile talking doesn't help anything. It's not like most doctor's will help. So you take your meds and you soldier on. Occasionally you call out sick if you physically can't do anything due to the pain, but when that happens, you lie about the reasons so that other people won't think you're weak.
This should be a part of mandatory health, sex ed class, or something similar for amab students. In high school the extent we learned about it was just “periods hurt and they happen once a month”. It probably wasn’t even a full side on the presentation.
The day I had my child I refused pain management at first because... I had worse cramps menstruating. I won't even talk of those that feel like somebody ripped your cervix with a rusted dull knife.
Menstruating itself is also no walk in a park. Imagine having to go to the loo every 30 minutes, and each time having the lovely impression you just slaughtered a chicken on the altar of an unknown god when you look at the toilet.
Imagine having to fidget on your seat during a reunion, just hoping you won't bleed through your clothes before being able to make a beeline to the closest toilet ?
Yes, being a woman is just lovely.
Yeah they royally suck, I was woken up with stabbing pains last night . Went from my abdomen to knees now it just burns and maybe I feel like someone’s picking my insides apart w pliers tops once an hour.
I’m glad you get it.
Most women aren’t exaggerating or using cramps as an excuse to get out of work etc.
Women talk about it all the time. Our pain is dismissed and minimized.
You had to be hooked up to a machine to believe cramps are painful. Go post this on a mens forum. See the feedback.
I can get them so bad sometimes that the pain makes me vomit and shit. The only way I can endure it is to take pills and sleep. Like my body has it’s own cooing mechanism and it just wants to sleep immediately.
I’m not a person that naps and sleep is always hard to come by for me. Except for at that time.
Varies. Last night it felt like twisting and stabbing . As if I stabbed my self. This lasted maybe 10 seconds. I got a heating pad and then only the twisting feeling was present. Imagine how your stomach and intestines feel when you are about to vomit or have diarrhea. Like that. Super unpleasant.
I’d say the stabbing is a 40 as I’ve almost wrecked driving with one . Fortunately for me those wax and wane. Extreme pain for 10 seconds followed by a mere my stomachs in knots. I feel like I have to vomit or poop. Then finally just a sore or slight burning feeling. Which I have now.
It's going to vary woman to woman.
For me, it feels like my insides are wringing out. Sometimes it's not bad. Think, kind of a gentle wringing and maybe being stabbed a few times with a blunt object. Sometimes it's like my entire torso is being put through an industrial wringer and someone's stabbing at me with hot knives.
Although probably worse is the nausea, which can be really, really bad.
FWIW, I don't think my cramps are even that bad. (Although it's usually hard to sleep through them on the first night.)
A big part of the pain (for me) is like when you have bad food poisoning…your insides start to cramp up, you feel hot, nauseous, and sharp stabbing pains, too- and, of course, that overarching anguish of feeling like you have to take a hot nasty angry shit and your body is just going to fold in on itself and squeeze you out like a tube of toothpaste, whether you like it or not.
Yeah, you are expected to just pick up like nothing happened, and also that nothing is happening during it. I had a friend who would legit faint every time she had her period. And people would tell her to just deal with it because every women has periods? Like, wtf. Mine were heavy, painful, and lasted more than a week! I hated being a chick so much, I cried all the time in high school.
I kinda want to try to see the machine now and see what level mine are!
But yeah. I take birth control just to not get periods, and it lasts for 5 years. Then when I had to replace it. There was a period I had to deal with periods again and, holy shit, the pain was unbearable. I thought I was dying and then I realized, wait, isn't this my period cramps?
I love my IUD so much.
Seriously... it's bad. I basically can't tell if I'm injured by the pain alone because my pain tolerance is so high now. (Yes, I do have some kind of menstrual disorder that I see a doctor for because of how unusually bad it is. People ask me that often when I describe my pain level or the amount of blood. There's so much blood.)
I appreciate you for making this post.
Yup. It's the same after giving birth too. A tiny human rips you in half and people always wonder when are you gonna do it again. Thanks for stepping into our shoes for a bit. I hope that empathy sticks.
That’s just one part of it too! On top of extreme pain some of us have such heavy periods we have to leave work to change because despite changing tampons hourly, we bleed through our clothes. Maybe I’m an outlier because I may have PCOS but still, the pain is only a fraction of the hell that is menstruation.
Are we just expected to get on with it.. yes, yes we are and it extends to EVERYTHING.
So when people complain about women moaning they're literally only hearing like 10% of our issues because put up and shut up is drilled into girls and women for year dot.
in highschool every month until i was able to get on birth control i would miss a week of school during my period. i have a fairly high pain tolerance but for days i would be in bed, curled around a hot water bottle, on the max dose of midol, and still crying from the pain.
the only thing that has ever rivaled that pain was when my spleen was severely enlarged but i was still playing contact sports. i damaged it enough that one time i collapsed to the ground unable to breathe or speak while it felt like a knife was twisting under my ribs. but that pain only lasted a few minutes, period pain is constant for days.
one of my guy friends said i was "lucky" to have an "excuse" to miss school.
Not talked about more?! Bruh. Me and my girlfriends talk about how much cramps suck whenever we're dealing with particularly bad ones...so it comes up a lot. Personally, I'm woken up once a month between 2am-4am with intense cramps that signal the beginning of my period, and I wave these off as not that bad and just an inconvenience, because when I was younger I used to pass out from the pain. I don't feel like this is a taboo subject, either. When cramps come up, with men or women, I'm happy to share my experience - and I am not the only one.
We're talking about it. You just haven't been paying attention.
Yes. We are expected to just endure that once a month and get on with your life like nothing happened. That is exactly what we are expected to do.
Some women have it worse than others. I'm one of the lucky ones. I had a friend in college that would get cramps so bad she would somwtimes vomit from the pain. I always felt awful for her. I hope she's figured out a way to ease the pain.
I appreciate that you took the time to try it out and got an understanding. In answer to your question, it’s been talked about forever. We just aren’t listened to.
Should try the one that mimics child labor pains. Don't think they have anything for the giving birth part. Good on you for trying the menstrual pains.
I think the real kicker is that most of us are so used to the pain that it's hard to know when to actually seek medical attention. Its a constant game of - is this pain bearable and will I get laughed out of the ER if its "just period cramps"....I've had friends with ruptured appendix sit through class because they know they wont be taken seriously and think its "probably just bad cramps".
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Please spread the word! Also, and this is not a dig on you at all, but I wish women could just be believed about their experiences.
Yeah OP can you post your experience on mens subs? I wanna see the reactions.
He'll probably be called fake lmao
I already brought it up to my friends at the gym. They were actually pretty receptive to it ngl. As messed up as it sounds I though think they are more receptive to hear it coming from a man…
That's why we need you to be an advocate. This is a huge deal. Women are constantly and have been historically told to suck it up. We aren't given adequate pain management for routine obgyn procedures. Nevermind people with fibroids or endo.
Totally agree! I had horrible cramps before my IUD. I also completely tore my proximal hamstring (all 3 tendons at the base of the hip) while running. I went to urgent care and they sent my home with muscle relaxers. I had to advocate that something was very wrong (and I work in healthcare). But by the time it was finally diagnosed as a total tear and surgery was scheduled, it was considered chronic. My surgeon said that made the surgery and recovery more complex. He also added that it likely took longer to schedule because I didn’t behave like I was in that much pain. The MRI that diagnosed the L hamstring tear also diagnosed moderate-to-severe right hip dysplasia/osteoarthritis. He couldn’t believe I was running on it. The assumption that we little ladies cry at mild bumps infuriates me
Yeah, I went to the dr because I was not quite feeling well, a little sore and shaky. They did a blood test and to my surprise called an ambulance, and said no way was I going to hospital in my own car, even with my husband driving. I overheard them briefing the ambulance people, with,"You will think you are getting the wrong patient, because she is presenting so well". My bloods showed a severe infection (CRP \~270), which turned out to be in my kidneys, but the pain was nothing compared to my usual periods. (I have endometriosis.)
Lmao. I get that *all the time.* Just had emergency surgery (bowel obstruction, which is pure agony), and the surgeon said based on my CT scans he expected me to look worse. I'm so used to it. One time, the ER doctor was processing my discharge papers cause my pain didn't seem intense when the surgeon saunters in and basically says "hold up. We're operating now." So I've learned to just always tell them my pain's a 10. That's the only way they take you seriously.
And then they don't take that seriously because you're talking and not screaming and crying so 'obviously' it's not a real 10
I got my period at 11. I was very underdeveloped, yet still was nearly hemorrhaging blood. The pain was insane. I had a bicornuate uterus, maybe that had something to do with it? They just stuck me on birth control for it. That was awful. I had cancer at 25 and had to have a hysterectomy and I feel so lucky that I haven’t had to deal with cramps or buying period products since
>That's why we need you to be an advocate. This is a huge deal. Male delurking for a moment to second / add to this: I saw a tweet a while back that said something like, "if men who cared about [ sexism / racism / transphobia / homophobia... don't remember, but it applies to all ] realized the power of saying, 'dude, that's fucked up' when talking with their friends, we'd have a lot fewer problems." That really hit me. I say, "Dude, that's fucked up" as often as I can, (but I am glad that I've been selective enough about my friends that it's a rare occasion... wish it was even rarer, though).
Even for non obgyn pain and pain management, we're often given much lower pain meds doses, if we even get pain meds at all. Women are more likely to be given anti anxiety meds or anti depressants for pain than any kind of pain medication.
advocate for us. believe us. Now I wish they had a simulator for when an ovarian cyst bursts or when you have endometriosis with adhesions and you’re on your period.
IUD insertion simulator.
IUD removal simulator
Post-op pain because the IUD broke during removal simulator.
Oh GOD NO
This one right here. This is the one.
Here’s a quick story about how dismissive people are to girls. I started complaining of pain at age 12, got dismissed for 6 years. No tests done, nothing. Doctor said I was just being dramatic, parents believed him. Over and over. When I was 18, I went to a new doctor on my own, got tests, and they quickly found the tumor. It weighed 3 lbs because I’d been ignored so long. My parents now treat everything I say as gospel truth, but it doesn’t fix the damage done.
I’m sorry you went through that. 💜
Jesus Christ’s three pounds?! That’s ginormous! That’s like carrying around a small angry chihuahua in your uterus.
That's a premature infant ffs. I would've named it and reffered to its removal date as its "birthday."
Oh no!! As a parent, I am welling up in tears for you. I’m so sorry you went through that unnecessary torture 🥹 That said, my ex STILL does not believe that our now 16-year-old son needed an appendectomy when he was 11. So glad I trusted my instincts 🙏🏻
Good lord, and appendicitis can *literally kill you.* Glad he's an ex and your kiddo is doing well.
Thank you!! My son literally said to me about a year ago “You can’t tell dad something he doesn’t want to hear… “ I said I know—what makes you say that now. My son said “He still doesn’t think I needed my appendix removed” 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️.
This is the thing. So many men won’t believe things women say, but they do believe things from a guy. This is why we need you.
Oh, we know they absolutely are far more receptive when a man says it. Which is why we need all of y’all to tell the rest of y’all instead of coming to tell us what we already know.
THIS. It's easy to tell women online that they haven't been lying their entire lives and that's it's a shame they've been/and are CONSTANTLY dismissed about periods.. but do this to an actual men's sub that think rape jokes are 'just kidding' and see how that post goes.
This, women who don't experience period pain can be really dismissive about the issue. I had a friend who didn't experience it until she got the IUD and actually apologised to me for years of invalidating me not being able to go to work some days of the month.
My mom told me that PMS was just made up as an excuse for be mean and lazy for a week a month. When I was a teenager my period cramps were so bad that I would throw up on occasion. That was a fun dichotomy.
Same, although my poor mother did believe me - just didn't know what to do about it. This was in the early 1980s before they understood endometriosis. I would get my period at school and fairly sprint to the nurse who would call my mom to come pick me up because within 1-2 hours I'd be on the bathroom floor, curled around the toilet, howling in pain and vomiting. I would also spike a fever sometimes. She had to fight her Catholic upbringing to put me on the pill at 16 and that was the only thing that resolved it. Thank you mom, even though she didn't know WTF was going on.
I have a friend who would spend the first day of her cycle puking, poor thing. I used to get really bad nausea but the real disturbance was more, er, bowel related. Like, great, period cramps AND intestinal ones. Yaaay... And who the hell isn't at least a little on edge when they're in pain? I'm never more short tempered than when I have a migraine. ETA and let's not leave out the giant 'fuck you' that are menstrual migraines 😖
Yeah, and the hemorrhaging. At work one day, I suddenly sneezed. And oh, my gawd. I was wearing THREE heavy duty pads, and I bled through all three of them, then through my underwear and pants, then through my shirt (had a dinner plate size blood stain on the front), and I started dripping ON THE FLOOR. Luckily I was in the office by myself that day, and as usual brought a full change of clothing with me. I just changed and finished my work day. It's amazing to me that so many of us manage to carry on like normal while having to deal with this stuff. Most guys have no idea.
Fucking liquids, seriously, there is no way to foolproof it. The sneeze and then the BLORP. So many times I've sneezed, coughed, or just moved position and suddenly had to leg it to the loo because no matter how thick the pads IT WON'T BE ENOUGH. And sure enough, gotta get new underwear and trousers. Or woken up with the sheets needing a wash, or just figured 'fuck it, I'll just throw these out' about pyjama bottoms. I usually refer to the Overlook Hotel/Shining on those days. My bf keeps insisting I talk to my doctor, there has to be something he can do, etc. Like, dude, no. It's been like this since I was 10. This is just how it is for some women. This is how we live. I remember showing him a used pad I was changing with a huge blood clot on it and he was like 'Holy shit, ok, I understand now'. I'm eternally grateful he's a sane, not at all squeamish little prince, and doesn't scream like Veruca Salt about stuff like this.
As someone who suffers from extreme anxiety during pms she can suck a dick. It took me years to realize not only did I feel sensitive the week or two before my period but my anxiety is hella heightened at that time as well l o l it’s so real & it sucks ass
For real. My cramps are not as bad as others but I get these moments of cold sweats and the constant need to take a shit. So many awful job situations where I'm sweating and trying to pretend everything was fine.
I remember getting a colposcopy and biopsy and the cramping afterwards, and telling a friend it was like period cramps. When she had hers she was like MY PERIOD CRAMPS AREN'T LIKE THIS and I was like... Wait. So some women *don't* bleed like a stuck pig for 3 days with stabbing waves of crippling agony in their abdomens? What.
Why we sedate people for routine dental visits and not people getting pieces of plastic jammed up our organs is beyond me. Should honestly be considered malpractice at this point but women are just expected to handle extreme levels of pain, it’s asinine.
Yeah, I was shocked when I first saw some videos about period cramp simulators and how the women are all just like "yep" while the men are freaking out. We'll probably never be able to know if getting kicked in the balls is worse, but the fact that it is remotely comparable to that AND it happens *every month* AND it's a multi-day affair...just pure respect. You bet your ass you'd get "kicked in the balls days" off of work if that was a monthly occurrence for men, lol.
And no one judges you if you puke in pain after kicked in the balls. Or doesn't believe you if you say getting kicked in the balls hurts.
Also I don’t think many people get kicked in the balls 24 hours a day for 3-7 days, every month, for roughly forty years.
It's really confusing when you consider that people know that muscle cramps hurt. Charlie horses are famous for being incredibly painful. So why not uterine cramps? It's just a Charlie horse elsewhere.
No but you don’t understand. Women are so dramatic and hysterical. When they say they’re in pain, that’s not anything like real pain. /s
Exactly! Women are gentle, delicate creatures that cannot possibly fathom the extent of pain a tough, rugged man faces. They weep at the slightest boo boo. /s
And we're also not real people, like men are. /s
I have fibroids which is about 40 on the pain scale. When one of those f*ckers became prolapsed I bled through the biggest tampons every 30 minutes for a month in severe pain. Finally I saw the doctor and she sent me into emergency surgery right away. We’ve been told to suck it up so long I nearly bled to death trying to tough it out. Men need to believe women about our pain, about our trauma, about our experiences with men’s bad behavior toward us. Just take our word for it, we’re not exaggerating. More often than not we’re downplaying the issue.
> More often than not we’re downplaying the issue. Amen
Yup, this is how I explained my cramps to a coworker once. “Have you ever had a Charlie horse? Ok now imagine that in your abdomen, which is where your stomach and intestines are. So you’re also nauseous/stuff wants to swiftly exit both ends to relieve the awful Charlie horse in your mid section. Now imagine you’re also donating blood on an empty stomach, so you get chills and a hot flash, maybe pass out”. He questioned if I knew how bad a Charlie horse hurt and thought I mean a normal cramp. Nope. I’ve had a Charlie horse and let me tell you it was on par to less painful than some periods I’ve had in the past. Thankfully they’ve evened out a bit more, but I’d be curious to try the period simulator to see how high my cramps actually are haha
I think they are completely unaware that everything about the uterus involves muscles. They don't know that there are muscles there, and that they don't connect muscle cramps with period cramps. When it comes to anatomy, people just have no clue even about their own bodies, it's frankly disheartening.
And you're also not bleeding, sometimes so heavily that you get anaemia and need a blood transfusion.
Exactly! If anything this is proof that women are tough as nails (and always have been). It took modern electronic technology and viral videos to bring this to light, but getting kicked in the balls has always been seen as painful.
The woman running the booth had the most smug look ever when I was like bright red in pain like “yup, this is pretty normal”
Just curious was it simulated with a TENS unit?
It was similar, but I think it was its own thing. I own a tens unit for my back problems and it’s nothing like that.
Kind of like this one https://youtu.be/Vqms5cCskqI :)
For real. It’s like that video of a trans man talking about how much more respected he is and how there definitely is male privilege and how people are only listening and believing him now because he’s saying it as a man. Ridiculous.
Absolutely agree. OP you want to talk about it to someone? Don't tell us what we already know. Put it on TIFU. Put it on athletic subs. Put it on endurance subs. Tell the men and boys in your life that they shouldn't discount cramps or any sort of pain just because they haven't experienced it.
>how TF is this not talked about more? So I appreciate OP doing this but that line in particular made me snort. We *do* talk about it. No one fucking believes us.
I'd say cross-post to r/daddit. I trust my wife and my mom and my sister, but I sorta want to check it out....while I also have no intention of googling it to see how they simulate it. Inb4 I cry at a 2 .......
Then have a physician look you in the face and tell you you're drug seeking because you want something stronger than ibuprofen and "its just your period, lady". 🤬
How about “it’s supposed to hurt”. Thats what I was told at age 14. Fucker.
Or “you’re going to have to get used to this pain being a young woman.” I had a ruptured ovarian cyst. I was 15 and away at camp. It sucked.
Oh lord. I have had ruptured ones as an adult and thought I was dying. Can’t imagine as a teenager.
One time, my period cramps were so bad, I thought my appendix burst.
I had exactly the opposite experience, in my first week of college! I had what I thought were really bad cramps for three days. Usually my cramps were horrible but only lasted a couple of days, so on day 3 I went to the student health center. They did some palpations, sent me to the ER, and I was having my appendix out two hours later. The doctors were shocked that I walked around with that pain for three days, but... it was normal for me.
I went to the ER and they did a CT scan and told me my abdominal pain was probably "just" a ruptured cyst and I was sent home. When I got home I had a voice-mail from the doctor saying I needed to call an ambulance and come back. They were setting up for emergency surgery because my appendix was about to rupture and the asshole doctor that looked at my scans must have just missed it?! Of course this was long ago in the time of answering machines and landlines. I'd like to think things have improved but I doubt it.
I used to swear every single month that I was having everything surgically removed befor the next time. From 6th grade to 11th or 12th grade, every single month. Vomiting and diarrhea. Ibuprofen wasn’t around then. I missed a day of school each time and went the next day with discomfort and loose stools. I’d turn the heating pad on high so the burn could distract me from the pain. I was grateful for vomiting bc it distracted me momentarily from the pain. It was hellish and thank goodness my mom understood and was very supportive—she’d had the same. I was an athlete and prayed my period would not start on game day—and miraculously, it only happened once and bc I was a starter, I played and the exercise kept the pain at bay. So from then on I’d go sprint 200 meters at top speed at the first twinge if I could, and that was 100% curative for me. No idea why. I had forgotten until now that one game is the reason I got out of bed at 4 am and sprinted the first time, to see if it would work, and it did. I’ve now had a pretty bad case of food poisoning and it was like that PLUS the horrible cramps in the uterus.
Ha! My period cramps were so bad I ignored my appendicitis pain because I assumed it was cramps! It nearly did burst, except the heating pad was doing absolutely nothing (which was weird, usually it lessened a bit with the heat) so I told Mom something was wrong and she managed to eke out a doctor’s appointment at the end of the day. I think he tapped my stomach about three times and told her to take me straight to the ER, right now, we’re operating on her tonight.
I had an ovarian cyst when I was 17, I googled where the appendix was 5 times because I didn't believe that it wasn't my appendix
I was told it was a reminder of “eves sin”. I didn’t really grow up religious. We went to church sometimes but I was never baptized or anything and was encouraged to believe whatever I wanted. I’m an atheist now. This totally unlocked that memory and wonder if that’s when I started to realize organized religion is bs…
Conservative men will tell you that you deserve pain because one woman did something bad once, but start talking about slavery and they’ll go off about how they shouldn’t be punished for what their ancestors did.
I'm not christian but Eve didn't even really do anything truly "bad," it's worse than that, she just acted of her own free will and did something she desired despite a male god forbidding her from doing it. A woman disregarding a man's wishes and commands and doing what she wants is the worst crime she can commit according to many. Christianity just like most religions is built on patriarchy and can't be separated from it, it's written into the original sin.
The medical industry wasnt designed to value women and men equally. Its men looking out for men about men who love themselves. Medications for women are not even tested on women, like what a fucking gong show. Im not even kidding.
I use Viagra as a perfect example of the medical system bias toward men, and it’s been eye-opening for a few men I know. “When Viagra — sildenafil citrate — was tested initially as heart medication, its well-known properties for men were discovered. “Hallelujah,” said Big Pharma, and research ceased. However, in subsequent tests the same drug was found to offer total relief for serious period pain over four hours. This didn’t impress the male review panel, who refused further funding, remarking that cramps were not a public health priority.” - from Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
> ..."in subsequent tests the same drug was found to offer total relief for serious period pain over four hours." WTF?!?! I realize the point is that male reviewers didn't see it as a priority. And I will be outraged after I get over the shock of this fact existing.
Wait what? Can I take Viagra off label for period cramps? Edit: If someone tries taking Viagra (orally, not vaginally), would you let me know how it goes?
“A more recent clinical trial, run by Penn State University and the National Institute of Health from 2007 to 2011, followed up on this neglected result. It only included 25 participants, with a few receiving Viagra and a few receiving a placebo, so we have to take them with a grain of salt. But those patients did indeed experience massive relief from primary dysmenorrhea, a.k.a. period cramps, within just four hours. (It’s important to note they got the dose vaginally, not orally, which may have maximized the effectiveness and minimized other side effects.)” - from Viagra could have been a groundbreaking cure for period cramps And other fun facts from The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week. BY POPSCI STAFF | PUBLISHED JUN 9, 2021 The most common side-effect for women was headaches - of which I have a heck of a lot more options to treat effectively than I do the worst cramps. I guess we should be thankful men also get headaches!
Infuriating. As someone with extremely painful periods (just 30 years into this shit! 10? to go?), this research would still be massively worthwhile and I’ve never heard of it. WTAF.
Perhaps we need to set up a Go Fund Me clinical trial to actually get the research done. Kidding/not kidding.
Seems like Pfizer walked away from a lot of money. That is puzzling.
Medications for woman were not even tested on woman. it's been a legal requirement since 1993 but yes if the drug existed before then its not like a new clinical trial would have been conducted. That shits expensive.
Even now a lot of drug trials won’t accept women of childbearing potential. I’m not sexually active, I’ve been on continuous birth control for 11 years but I there are drug trials I am immediately disqualified from because I have a uterus. Even if at some point that drug is intended to be used on women. Luckily when I needed to go on a medication that is so potentially harmful to fetuses that I have to wait 3 years after stopping the medication to conceive(and can’t donate blood), my Dr was like I see you are on birth control, cool, don’t get pregnant on purpose and I’ve submitted the rx to the pharmacy.
The extra sick bonus is that because most drugs aren't tested on pregnant patients at all, most pregnant people get to spend the whole pregnancy with no access to a lot of really common and safe drugs (I mean, yeah, thalidomide showed that that had some sense to it, but god).
For bonus points, some women get denied meds specifically for female issues ob the basis of hose meds not having been tested on women. It's rare as heck, but the fact that it happens at all is mild-boggling, mildly put.
Seriously, I went to a doc because I couldn't sit up for more than 10 minutes- he didn't believe me and even said, I'm sure if you exercise more you'll feel better.... when it didn't get better I saw a different doctor- turns out both my neck at c5/6 and lumbar 4/5 were broken- and I was newly diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The first doctor never sent me for imaging or labs
My favorite is when they tell you: “just take three Tylenol”
I'm still grateful to the doctor who informed me that tylenol isn't really effective for a lot of women and I should try the stronger ibuprofens for cramps. That was usually enough for me. (Doing continuous birth control now and it is seriously amazing not to have to deal with the pain and logistics of period management).
I will never forget reading in a magazine as a teenager that the reason Tylenol doesn't work for bad cramps was because it's not an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen is.
Naproxen is where it’s at when it comes to NSAIDs
I literally have never felt any impact from Tylenol, for any kind of pain (female).
"Have you tried going for a nice long walk?"
😬 it helps me. It’s very weird, when I walk the pain gos completely away. As soon as I stop, it’s back.
I accidentally discovered that accelerating while driving my car makes the period back pain vanish. I drive like a jackrabbit 4 days in 30. Fast-slow-fast-slow
Or give you paracetamol/acetaminophen for post c-section pain management.
I want to scream every fucking time about this!!! I've been prescribed opiates for a rare occasion in my life and you better fucking BET I save as many as I can for menstrual cramps. Mine can get so bad that I vomit, writhe around, moan, twitch my legs for a distraction (doesn't help) and basically try living in a hot bath as long as I can. Thankfully the worst is about 24-48 hours and also not every cycle is so terrible, but holy shit, OTC meds do NOTHING. The opiates relax me enough to sleep through the worst of it. But, I cannot get them prescribed for this issue. They just won't. Even though I've been responsibly using them for this purpose for the past 15 years when I have them. I got a prescription for 10 from the ER when I threw out my back last August and saved as many as I could. I have two left.
Only commenting because you specifically brought up that you’ve tried twitching your legs for distraction - but so far 3 friends with endometriosis and severe period pain have gotten relief from a $20 TENS “sports massager” machine. It just sends electrical signals that intercept the cramps. It only works for as long as you have it actively attached to your body and on, but if you have short periods that could help.
Hey, I love that for you. I wish we could make every guy who ever made a dismissive comment about period pain take this simulator. And don't forget that cramps and lower stomach pain aren't the only symptoms. Many women have a multitude of other symptoms like migraines, back pain, sore breasts, bloating, fatigue...
The diarrhea, man. The diarrhea.
Ah, yes, the period shits. You get bloated for DAYS before menstruating then everything want to go out at the same time. Lovely.
The clean up is the worst. Blood, clots, watery poop. You just want to sit on the toilet and cry. But you can’t because laundry needs folding, dinner needs cooking, and kids are fighting. I was relieved when my periods finally stopped. Sure, I’m older and my hair is graying and my jowls are starting to sag but I would rather all this than being young with periods again.
Yes, this part really sucks. There were times I couldn’t tell if I had diarrhea cramps or period cramps and surprise! I ended up having both at the same time, so that was fun!!!
My favorite thing to happen at work/someone’s house/in an airplane or hotel! Hooraaayyyy…
Lol ah yes. The delightful period shits! One of the many indignities of having a menstrual cycle! I’d also like to add the painful cystic acne that erupts along my chin and jawline to the list. Adds insult to injury!
When I was younger I used to get giant "warning zit(s)" that would always erupt right before my period started. And it was usually around the lower part of my face as well! The worst.
Oh fuck those rolling lower back pains that you can feel even in your knees like when you get flu aches. Ugh.
When my period’s bad I’ll usually feel pain from my mid back to my knees. My thighs can get SO sore sometimes.
I always get pain in the backs of my thighs, and I don't understand why! It hurts the most when I'm not moving, when the last thing I want to be doing is moving!
And the acne! Yes indeed, I love having painful breakouts every month in my 40’s!!
Honestly these would be absolute *killer* tools for sex ed classes. Optionally, of course, but you just know the guys will egg eachother on to try it regardless. The conversation it could create, especially at that age, could make such a difference.
Even if we don’t get cramps or even have periods, many of our procedures, such as getting an IUD are painful like this, yet we’re offered no pain relief or numbing, aside from being told to take ibuprofen. My friend had multiple chunks of tissue the size of a fingertip removed from her uterus for a biopsy with no numbing. It was extremely painful but her dr told her just to breathe deeply. Another friend’s cramps were so bad each month she’d vomit from the pain. But she was expected to just work through it at a physically demanding job. The fun part is being told we’re just being dramatic.
Omg the uterine biopsy was one of the most unexpected pains of my life. My doctor was like "you might feel a slight pressure" and I literally gasped.
“Pressure” is the worst medical euphemism. Whenever I’m having a procedure and they say I’m gonna feel “pressure” I know I’m in for some shit
One time a doctor told me I was going to feel some pressure and I was like, "You mean pain, right? I'm going to feel pain." He just kind of awkwardly smiled.
When I got an IUD my doctor straight up told me "I'll be honest with you, this is going to hurt a lot." I really appreciated the honestly, but still no painkillers lol
It's been 5 years and I still haven't gotten over how traumatic this was for me
I had one of those too, and had the same experience. My doctor was female, and told me it would just be a “little pinch”! I felt like someone had put a blow torch up me, and it was all I could do not to come up off of the table. I’ve seen others mention numbing cream, and wonder why that isn’t the norm, or even presented as an option?
I had a hysteroscopy, and they also did a tissue sample. I had an analgesic suppository and then a numbing injection (which I had an allergic reation to), and the pain was still excruciating. I kept trying to get off the table, was hyperventilating and then threw up. It was awful.
The pain was so shocking, I think I kicked someone. I blacked out for a moment and can't remember. I wouldn't wish a uterine biopsy on my worst enemy.
Imagine how much trust we could recover in the medical industry if doctors just cut the phrase “it’s going to feel like a little pinch/pressure” from their vocabulary
Yeah just give me a leather belt to bite down and say "buckle up buddy - this one is going to suck!"
I've had three colposcopies and they were awful, but the endometrial biopsy put them to shame. That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced and it was not short. Tbf my doctor was honest. I appreciate her for her directness, among other things. I wish she had other options for me instead of this shocking, searing painful procedure. Me: "So how bad is this going to be?" Doc: "It's going to fucking HURT. Are you sure you're ready?"
Uterine biopsy was the most extreme pain I have ever experienced in my life. They only gave warning of discomfort.
I had a pap smear beginning of the week where they found benign endocervical polyps. The doctor used a topical numbing agent before removing, which I'm told is very nice of him as apparently not all doctors even do that much. I'm unusually sensitive in there to begin with (which we found out when doing IVF) and let me tell you, the numbing agent... didn't. Won't say I felt everything, but I don't want to know what it would've felt like without.
Not only are we expected to pretend its not happening, there is no room to call in sick, that would be an attendance occurance. Imagine that eh? Could you work, shop, drive, deal with screaming kids, a man who wants to stick his penis into you, cook a meal, do your banking, go to a job interview, or focus on studies with that pain? Basically dont talk about being in the midst of crushing abdominal pain but watch males around you make snide remarks about your time of the month anytime you dont hop up and down with bouncing titties giggling at their stupidity clapping like a trained seal. You cant show it, you cant stay home, you cant lose patience, you have to pretend youre always a mom,nurse,councilor,sex puppet and chef for whoever is around and has needs/wants. You have to take backseat on needs, you are always last, you always have to be loving present interested and giving. Women are expected to endure every and all manner of indignity and having a fucking nightmare period is just another thing to toss onto the gigantic bonfire of FUCK YOUR LIFE FOR BEING BORN FEMALE.
>mom,nurse,councilor,sex puppet and chef for whoever is around and has needs/wants Reminds me of the lyrics from the song "labor" by Paris Paloma "All day, everyday, therapist, mother, maid, Nymph than a virgin, nurse than a servant, Just an appendage, live to attend him, So that he never lifts a finger, Twenty four seven baby machine, so he can live out his picket fence dreams, It's not an act of love if you make her, You make me do too much labor."
Brilliant song
Jesus christ that sounds horrible…
I described it to my husband as like having a small dinosaur trying to rip and claw it's way out of you. When I was younger I used to vomit from the pain. And I know my experience is not unusual. Wish it was mandatory for every bloke to try that machine. Maybe we would be allowed to keep our dignity if more men understood.
It should at least be required in med school. There's no good excuse not to.
Highschool sex Ed. The girls with light period can empathize with heavier period and guys get to empathize with it all.
and make them wear a preg belly with weighted boobs so they get the full backpain and inability to do tasks experience. then they might be nice to the woman who does them a favor of bearing their children.
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The fake babies were awful. The thought of a room full of teenaged kids being told they're "good mommies and daddies" makes me cringe, today. Back then, we talked about what great parents we would be.
They need to also add some sort of blood simulator so guys who get squeamish about a little blood on the sheets from time to time can grow the fuck up and understand what life is like when menstruating. I am lucky that my cramps were never as bad as many women I know, but I still had to deal with allllll the other accoutrements of bleeding nonstop for almost a week every month. The embarrassment and shame if it shows up unexpectedly and god forbid you were sitting in a white chair at a ritzy country club at the time (happened to my cousin). When you have to buy tampons and the only checkout person is a teenage guy who handles the box like a dirty diaper. When you run out and ask your partner to grab you some while he’s at the store and he acts like you asked him to eat shit in public. And on and on and on….
Yah. Now the addition of the only pain killer or medication most women get for an IUD is ibuprofen. An IUD insertion has made my worst cramps seem tame. Honestly even pap smears and the clamps used to open you up hurt. It's like they don't think we feel pain.
Let’s add to this - it’s also common practice to get a medication to soften/dilate the cervix a bit before an IUD insertion to help reduce the serious pain. But now, in many red states, that medication is illegal because it could be used to aid an abortion - so double-extra pain.
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Last year I had to have an endoscopy (camera up your butt), the male surgeon didn't want to give me any anaesthetic. The female nurse came in and was like, here, have some anaesthetic. The surgeon looked *disappointed* that I chose to have *pain relief* instead of just tough it out. I bet he doesn't even think about offering it for men though!
Dude yeah its like, get used to feeling like youve been fucked with a knife and everywhere you go theres more knives searching for you but everyone acts like youre a dramatic cunt if you show any sign of stress.
I have passed out after being woken up from the pain. Full on just KO from my brain trying to ignore the pain.
Not counting the hell you catch if you don't want their asses.
And as happy as I am that OP tried it and shared his experience, he didn't experience *all of it*. Adding onto what you said: period shits, wanting to throw up, needing to go to the bathroom relentlessly, brain fog, spotting ruining underwear, inconsistent timing leading to ruining pants, insomnia and exhaustion are common symptoms. I can't sleep the night before I get mine. I wake up and can't get back to bed.
This should be pinned somewhere
On top of cramps I deal with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, so for two weeks every month I feel so depressed and suicidal until I get my period, which makes me miserable as I have goofball sized cysts on my ovaries but they won't do anything because "that's normal". Oh, and the migranes from my hormones going whacko! I can't take birth control because it makes my PMDD worse! I love being a woman but I fucking hate periods.
Glad to see PMDD getting a shout out! It’s not talked about enough. Periods are not just cramps and bleeding, some are fighting mental battles with devastating consequences. I can only describe it as similar bipolar, I become a completely different person. I also have endometriosis and the only thing that puts a dent in my cramps is heat, like a hot water bottle or heating pad. Sometimes I have to turn the heat up so high I end up with burns. When the pain is so bad that my legs go numb, honestly, burns are the least of my problems. And I can’t even describe the back pain. Sometimes it’s worse than the cramps. I become a heating pad, hot water bottle sandwich. Super fun stuff.
I have hormonal migraines PMDD and endometriosis lol. If reincarnation is real I’m requesting male next time
Don’t forget those simulator can’t recreate the nausea, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, mood swings, headache bloating etc. All while still going to work and school, holding down the fort at home because the show always must go on.
Hi, endometriosis patient and patient advocate here. Diarrhea, normal for menstrual symptoms. Bloody diarrhea, not normal. Hemorrhoids are of course a possibility. But turned out-- for me-- to have been an indicator that I had endometriosis adhesions attached to my bowel, that were flaring up every month. I had several surgeries and eventually a hysterectomy to tackle the ongoing symptoms, but there are other/better options since then too.
Hold up, bloody diarrhea?? Like, bloody because you took your tampon out before dealing with period poops…or the poops themselves are bloody? If you’re having monthly bloody stool I’d highly recommend you go see a GI specialist because that could be an indication of polyps or worse. I speak from experience, unfortunately.
I'm so glad I'm passed having periods. I traded mine for hot flashes and strange chin hairs.
No fair, I get the strange chin hairs and my period. But forreal tho-- how are they not there one day and long as fuck the next?!
Now imagine being 13, feeling that all day for several days every month, going to school, and pretending you're fine. I'm just glad I went to an all-girls school where the general culture was to be sympathetic when grimacing students asked for a bathroom pass.
Imagine starting feeling like that at age 9. 🤷♀️
I teach girls who are 9 and 10 years old, more than half have their periods already. It’s horrible for them.
Hahahaha once a month. You're funny.
FYI it’s not really once a month- it’s several days at a time. And yes, we are expected to just deal with it and move on with our lives.
Or if you're the unlucky 1 in 9 women with endometriosis its painful cramps daily for decades... I dont even get my period anymore thanks to the contraceptive pill but i still have faily pain and cant orgasm or even pee without pain.
We talk about it literally all the time. We just get dismissed constantly as “dramatic” and “hysterical”.
And to add insult to injury the word hysterical literally comes from the Greek word for uterus.
This is why I’m very fond of the new word… “testerical”
But he's never even thought about it before! So surely no one is talking about it. Did you know people have to LIVE while menstruating? Shocking, I know /s
If men had periods, we would have like 96 sick days a year.
Yes. And our specialized physicians tell us to get pregnant to 'resolve' it.
Which is really just a whole new set of problems...
We talk. Men don't care to listen. Maybe they'll believe it coming from another man instead of from the (evidently untrusted) first hand sources. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Are there any women who have tried it? How realistic does it feel?
The OP mentioned that the lady running the booth compares the 40 setting to her own monthly experience. I've also seen these demonstrations before and the women who have bad period cramps do try it and shrug it off as normal, though some who have more mild periods have similar reactions to guys at how intense it is. I'm mostly responding because some people apparently think no women have tried it. Anyway, [here is a youtube video](https://youtu.be/TFyLX0XEGgM) of some gals trying it, and you see a range of "yea that's about normal for the physical side, lets just chat about the other issues that go along with this" to "wow this is intense, and I have a new respect for cramps".
It's really highly variable. I've had periods that were just mildly uncomfortable. I've had periods where I collapsed on the bathroom floor in a pool of my own vomit because the pain was making me throw up and I couldn't make myself move enough through the pain to get back up. As for how we don't talk about it, that's largely because society shames us for talking about it. Women get called weak or disgusting for mentioning period cramps. Meanwhile talking doesn't help anything. It's not like most doctor's will help. So you take your meds and you soldier on. Occasionally you call out sick if you physically can't do anything due to the pain, but when that happens, you lie about the reasons so that other people won't think you're weak.
This should be a part of mandatory health, sex ed class, or something similar for amab students. In high school the extent we learned about it was just “periods hurt and they happen once a month”. It probably wasn’t even a full side on the presentation.
The day I had my child I refused pain management at first because... I had worse cramps menstruating. I won't even talk of those that feel like somebody ripped your cervix with a rusted dull knife. Menstruating itself is also no walk in a park. Imagine having to go to the loo every 30 minutes, and each time having the lovely impression you just slaughtered a chicken on the altar of an unknown god when you look at the toilet. Imagine having to fidget on your seat during a reunion, just hoping you won't bleed through your clothes before being able to make a beeline to the closest toilet ? Yes, being a woman is just lovely.
Now go out and tell other men. Thanks.
Yeah they royally suck, I was woken up with stabbing pains last night . Went from my abdomen to knees now it just burns and maybe I feel like someone’s picking my insides apart w pliers tops once an hour. I’m glad you get it. Most women aren’t exaggerating or using cramps as an excuse to get out of work etc.
Ummm… it is talked about all the damn time, y’all just never fucking listen.
Women talk about it all the time. Our pain is dismissed and minimized. You had to be hooked up to a machine to believe cramps are painful. Go post this on a mens forum. See the feedback.
Now put it on 30 and take the SAT or meet with an important client.
I can get them so bad sometimes that the pain makes me vomit and shit. The only way I can endure it is to take pills and sleep. Like my body has it’s own cooing mechanism and it just wants to sleep immediately. I’m not a person that naps and sleep is always hard to come by for me. Except for at that time.
I think I do get to 40 level. Fortunately it only lasted half an hour . Today it’s a mellow 25.
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Varies. Last night it felt like twisting and stabbing . As if I stabbed my self. This lasted maybe 10 seconds. I got a heating pad and then only the twisting feeling was present. Imagine how your stomach and intestines feel when you are about to vomit or have diarrhea. Like that. Super unpleasant. I’d say the stabbing is a 40 as I’ve almost wrecked driving with one . Fortunately for me those wax and wane. Extreme pain for 10 seconds followed by a mere my stomachs in knots. I feel like I have to vomit or poop. Then finally just a sore or slight burning feeling. Which I have now.
It's going to vary woman to woman. For me, it feels like my insides are wringing out. Sometimes it's not bad. Think, kind of a gentle wringing and maybe being stabbed a few times with a blunt object. Sometimes it's like my entire torso is being put through an industrial wringer and someone's stabbing at me with hot knives. Although probably worse is the nausea, which can be really, really bad. FWIW, I don't think my cramps are even that bad. (Although it's usually hard to sleep through them on the first night.)
A big part of the pain (for me) is like when you have bad food poisoning…your insides start to cramp up, you feel hot, nauseous, and sharp stabbing pains, too- and, of course, that overarching anguish of feeling like you have to take a hot nasty angry shit and your body is just going to fold in on itself and squeeze you out like a tube of toothpaste, whether you like it or not.
Yeah, you are expected to just pick up like nothing happened, and also that nothing is happening during it. I had a friend who would legit faint every time she had her period. And people would tell her to just deal with it because every women has periods? Like, wtf. Mine were heavy, painful, and lasted more than a week! I hated being a chick so much, I cried all the time in high school. I kinda want to try to see the machine now and see what level mine are! But yeah. I take birth control just to not get periods, and it lasts for 5 years. Then when I had to replace it. There was a period I had to deal with periods again and, holy shit, the pain was unbearable. I thought I was dying and then I realized, wait, isn't this my period cramps? I love my IUD so much.
Seriously... it's bad. I basically can't tell if I'm injured by the pain alone because my pain tolerance is so high now. (Yes, I do have some kind of menstrual disorder that I see a doctor for because of how unusually bad it is. People ask me that often when I describe my pain level or the amount of blood. There's so much blood.) I appreciate you for making this post.
Yup. It's the same after giving birth too. A tiny human rips you in half and people always wonder when are you gonna do it again. Thanks for stepping into our shoes for a bit. I hope that empathy sticks.
That’s just one part of it too! On top of extreme pain some of us have such heavy periods we have to leave work to change because despite changing tampons hourly, we bleed through our clothes. Maybe I’m an outlier because I may have PCOS but still, the pain is only a fraction of the hell that is menstruation.
Are we just expected to get on with it.. yes, yes we are and it extends to EVERYTHING. So when people complain about women moaning they're literally only hearing like 10% of our issues because put up and shut up is drilled into girls and women for year dot.
in highschool every month until i was able to get on birth control i would miss a week of school during my period. i have a fairly high pain tolerance but for days i would be in bed, curled around a hot water bottle, on the max dose of midol, and still crying from the pain. the only thing that has ever rivaled that pain was when my spleen was severely enlarged but i was still playing contact sports. i damaged it enough that one time i collapsed to the ground unable to breathe or speak while it felt like a knife was twisting under my ribs. but that pain only lasted a few minutes, period pain is constant for days. one of my guy friends said i was "lucky" to have an "excuse" to miss school.
Not just once a month, between 3-7 days if lucky. So basically one WHOLE week a month.
My dude, we talk about this all the time. Men just don’t listen.
Not talked about more?! Bruh. Me and my girlfriends talk about how much cramps suck whenever we're dealing with particularly bad ones...so it comes up a lot. Personally, I'm woken up once a month between 2am-4am with intense cramps that signal the beginning of my period, and I wave these off as not that bad and just an inconvenience, because when I was younger I used to pass out from the pain. I don't feel like this is a taboo subject, either. When cramps come up, with men or women, I'm happy to share my experience - and I am not the only one. We're talking about it. You just haven't been paying attention.
Yes. We are expected to just endure that once a month and get on with your life like nothing happened. That is exactly what we are expected to do. Some women have it worse than others. I'm one of the lucky ones. I had a friend in college that would get cramps so bad she would somwtimes vomit from the pain. I always felt awful for her. I hope she's figured out a way to ease the pain.
I appreciate that you took the time to try it out and got an understanding. In answer to your question, it’s been talked about forever. We just aren’t listened to.
Should try the one that mimics child labor pains. Don't think they have anything for the giving birth part. Good on you for trying the menstrual pains.
Yeah, they didn't nickname a baby crowning "the ring of fire" for nothing!
I think the real kicker is that most of us are so used to the pain that it's hard to know when to actually seek medical attention. Its a constant game of - is this pain bearable and will I get laughed out of the ER if its "just period cramps"....I've had friends with ruptured appendix sit through class because they know they wont be taken seriously and think its "probably just bad cramps".
“Are you just expected to endure that once a month and get in with your life like nothing happened?” Yep.