While Others Pointed Out Some Of The Larger Implications Of The Whole Thing:
People who menstruate are not getting the diagnoses or treatment they need for other conditions because of our cultures unwillingness to acknowledge that period pain is real. That is so very much not OK. And it needs to change.
You know what might help that change along? Donating time, money, or skills to organizations that fight for reproductive health. And, if youre a health care provider: Listening to your patients. Dont just brush off our concerns. Listen when we tell you what were experiencing.
Listening can go a long way towards helping.
Also Check: 90 Day Probationary Period Form
But It’s Not Endometriosis
Dysmenorrhea is different to endometriosis. There is no certain medical explanation for painful periods, unlike endometriosis, and most women are suffering in silence.
Guillebaud says the pain is partly caused by uterus cramps, whereas Frank Tu, director of gynaecological pain at NorthShore University HealthSystem, says its a combination of sensory processing, local uterine inflammation, and uterine blood flow issues as well.
Now that makes it sound like a bit more than just monthly womens pain.
Doctor Says Period Pain Can Be Almost As Bad As A Heart Attack And Women Everywhere Nod Collectively
Image Source: Unsplash / Daria Nepriakhina
If youve ever been curled up like a ball writhing in pain because it feels like someone is stabbing you from within your uterus out through your pelvis, then you know period pain.
Womens health, and in turn, womens pain in regards to their health, has been historically swept beneath the rug and misunderstood. Being told to suck it up and pop an Advil while suffering from cramps and other symptoms of your period is a frustration well-known to the female-bodied.
A recent piece in Quartz brings to light many issues with womens health. The author, Olivia Goldhill, detailed her own experience with severe period pain, which she likened to that of a slipped disc, as well as her struggle with doctors who were quick to misdiagnose her pain, or prescribe birth control pills and other general methods of addressing the issue without truly understanding it.
A doctor shared a major revelation with Goldhill that has women worldwide nodding their heads collectively: unsurprised, yet finally feeling more understood.
John Guillebaud, a professor of reproductive health at University College London, told Quartz that patients have described the cramping pain experienced as a result of menstruation as almost as bad as having a heart attack.
Yes, you read that correctly.
rt if you knew this already
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Ways To Alleviate Period Pains
There is no one cure-all for menstrual cramps dysmenorrhea is the technical term. However, with a bit of trial and error you may just find something that either alleviates those period pains altogether or at least allows you to function semi-normally during the bad days!
- A heat pack or hot water bottle placed on the lower abdomen
- Exercise some women find that working out can help to reduce cramping
- Relaxation just as much as exercise can help, so can taking it easy
- Pain relief including ibuprofen and paracetamol
- Combined contraceptive pill some women find this reduces the effects
- Tranexamic acid can be prescribed by a doctor for those who experience heavy bleeding
- Intrauterine Contraceptive Device IUCD speak to your doctor about how this could help
- Acupuncture or acupressure have been known to be helpful for some
- Homeopathy can offer various remedies
How do you deal with period pain?
See more:
Its Different For Different Women
Idk about heart attack level but before i started taking birth control pills i could barely move for the first 3 days of my period and i passed out 2/3 times due to the pain but i know other people that say they dont have any problems either idk it really differs
E | #TeamSAD
Ah! Enlightenment, finally.
So wait, what does this sudden meteor of information mean? Dont worry, world. We dont need your pity. Neither are we asking you to turn this into a big deal to appease us. Dont worry, we wont even rant on about being entitled to those period leaves at work.
What the women in your life really need from you, dear men and fellow women too, is to just believe them when they say It hurts like a bitch!.
Because it fucking does.
PS: Were going to be smug as hell about this for a while now. Deal with it!
- 4.0Kshares
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While Others Pointed Out The Issue With The Mode Of Delivery Of This Particular Message:
I mean, donât get me wrong â cis male allies are nice for period-havers to have. But, well⦠thereâs something kind of off-putting about an issue affecting us not being taken seriously until a cisgender man points out that itâs a problem. It really speaks to one of the biggest issues with our culture at large â its unwillingness to listen to oppressed groups when they tell them what their experiences have been, coupled with its willingness to listen to privileged people when they say the exact same thing.
Male Professor Likens Period Cramps To Heart Attacks
Period Cramps can be almost as painful as a heart attack according to a professor of reproductive health confirming what woman already knew forever.
Professor John Guillebaud form University College London is calling for more research to treat menstrual pain, which affects 20% of women every month. Doctors confirmed there have been few studies done and the lack of understanding means some women arent diagnosed with more serious conditions like endometriosis a disorder which causes severe pain during menstruation.
Some countries, including India, Zambia and Italy allow women to take menstrual leave and have time off to recover during their monthly cycle. In light of all this, women are taking to the Internet to join doctors in demanding people take their pain seriously.
Also Check: How Can You Make Your Period Go Away Faster
Does Your Period Pain Feel As Bad As A Heart Attack Youre Not Imagining It
This article originally appeared on 09.14.17
Heres an article to send to every jerk in your life who denied you the right to complain about your period cramps: A medical expert says that some women experience menstruation pains that are almost as bad as having a heart attack. John Guillebaud, who is a professor of reproductive health at University College London, spoke to Quartz on the subject, and said that the medical community has long ignored what can be a debilitating affliction, because its a problem that mostly inconveniences women.
I think it happens with both genders of doctor, Guillebaud told Quartz. On the one hand, men dont suffer the pain and underestimate how much it is or can be in some women. But I think some women doctors can be a bit unsympathetic because either they dont get it themselves or if they do get it they think, Well I can live with it, so can my patient.’
And its a problem that cant just be treated with common painkillers. Some people who experience dysmenorrhea, the medical term for painful menstruation, also suffer from endometriosis, a condition that can cause infertility if its not treated properly. But research on the subject is scant, so doctors often misdiagnose it, or dismiss the pain entirely. Its estimated, however, that one out of 10 women has the condition.
Keep Warm And Stretch It Out
Placing a hot water bottle or a heating pad over your lower abdomen or lower back can help relieve the pain by relaxing your uterine muscles. Heat also helps generate better circulation or blood flow, which can give you some pain relief.
If you’re in terrible pain, the last thing you want to do is move, I know. But a few yoga-style stretches can make a difference, especially when your back and legs hurt. Here are six yoga poses that may help . Personally, I add a supported bridge pose to that list because it helps stretch out my back.
Also Check: When Are Your Most Fertile Days After Period
/5period Pain As Painful As A Heart Attack
Women have been asking it and men have been baffling about it: why are period cramps so painful? These muscle contractions are somewhat compared to labour pains. In some scenarios, they can make a woman nauseous and some women may also experience symptoms similar to diarrhoea. This pain usually occurs in the lower abdomen and lower back and lasts from two to four days. Women can have an emotional as well as physical impact due to these cramps. But a new study has claimed a different take on it. It says that menstrual cramps are as painful as a heart attack!
Can Guys Have Periods
Guys dont have periods because they dont have a uterus, but their bodies develop and change too the changes are just different. For example: their voice changes and they develop hair on their face and other parts of their bodies. So, although guys dont get periods, their bodies do go through changes too.
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Doctors Finally Confirm Period Pain Can Be As Painful As A Heart Attack And Women Are Rejoicing
As for what happens next, that remains to be seen
- 16:43, 28 Feb 2018
Menstrual cramps are uniquely painful theres nothing in the world quite like them.
Described as an aching or a tightening on medical channels, sufferers of Dysmenorrhea often have stronger and more eloquent ways of describing cramp.
Type in describe menstrual cramps into Google and a wealth of colourful description will pop up, all of which paint a very, very painful picture.
Our personal favourite, courtesy of Betty , goes: Like your uterus has gained actual sentience and is trying to claw itself out of your body for the great escape to freedom.
Menstrual Cramps Are Almost As Bad As Having A Heart Attack Doctor Says
It shouldnt surprise you to hear that menstrual cramps can be painful. You might be stunned to know just how painful they can be.
Menstrual cramps technically called dysmenorrhea can cause pain thats almost as bad as having a heart attack, according to Dr. John Guillebaud, a professor of reproductive health at University College London, who made the comparison to Quartz.
The pain is severe enough that it is the leading reason women younger than 30 miss work or school, according to WebMD.com. The pain can interfere with daily activities for up to 20% of women, according to a study by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
According to WebMD, the following factors could make it more likely for a woman to experience painful menstrual cramps:
- Started period before age 11
- Periods are heavy
Also Check: How To Count Safe Days After Periods
Doctors Have Finally Ruled Menstrual Cramps As Painful As Heart Attacks
A professor at UCL has reported patients describing period pain as ‘bad as having a heart attack’.
Although we know that menstrual cramps/period pain/whatever you choose to call it, can feel like you’re being repeatedly punched in the stomach from the inside out, explaining this to other people can feel like a lost cause.
Worried about being dismissively diagnosed by coworkers and friends with female ‘conditions’ such as being ‘delicate’, ‘dramatic’ or ‘oversharing’, more often than not, we suck it up and suffer in silence. Add it to the list…
But not anymore. Menstrual cramps, or Dysmenorrhea as it’s technically called, has finally been ruled as painful as having a heart attack. Professor of reproductive health at University College London, John Guillebaud, told Quartz that patients have described the cramping pain as ‘almost as bad as having a heart attack.’
Although we’re loathe to sound overjoyed that a dude finally acknowledged period pain can be a condition so debilitating its only comparison is a near death experience, we’ll take the improvement on the previous medical advice that recommended Ibuprofen as ‘good enough’ to prescribe.
In fact, ignoring women’s pain has been a concerning medical practise for, well, forever, with research showing that doctors generally take it less seriously then men’s. Hell, the word ‘hysterical’ stems from ‘hystericus’ meaning ‘of the womb’.
Thanks for that one society.
John, you’ve made our good list.
The Medical Conditions Linked To Period Pain
There are two main causes of period pain: Primary dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. The former is simply painful periods, with no certain medical explanation, that tends to affect women as soon as they start menstruation. But the distinction between the two conditions is not clear-cut, as many women suffering dysmenorrhea may have undiagnosed endometriosis. Its estimated that while 20% of women have the former, around 10% of ovulating women in the US have endometriosis, and it takes on average 10 years to get an accurate diagnosis.
Endometriosis occurs when the tissue similar to that lining the uterus grows on other areas, usually within the pelvis, such as fallopian tubes and ovaries. This tissue has also been found on the bladder and intestines, and in rare cases, even in the lungs and brain. The body reacts to these lesions with inflammation and an attempt to cover it with scar tissue, and one of the most common symptoms is severe menstrual cramps. Left untreated, it can cause infertility. And yet theres significant confusion about endometriosisthe causes, why some women are predisposed to the condition, if theres a genetic component.
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Doctors Say Period Cramps Are As Painful As A Heart Attack And Women Are Reacting In The Best Way Possible
If youre a woman who goes through the harrowing realities of bleeding for a week-a week and a half every single monthâyou know its no day at the damn beach. Yes, while having your period is a universal norm for women everywhere, its also true that some women suffer from debilitating period cramps. When I was younger, my cramps were so bad that on the first few days of my cycle, I couldnt leave my bed or my heating padâthe struggle was real. But, you know how society is when it comes to women and painâits never that bad and were just being babies. Now, one doctor is saying that period cramps can be as painful as a heart attackâand every woman is like duh. For years, some women have suffered from such pain, without any true form of research, prevention, or aid into the problem. After the doctor had published the statement, many people on the Internet reaction accordingly.
And it only took 100,000 years for men to admit we werenât making it up about painful periods
Dr. Dina McMillan
Which is why women should have birth control accessible to them, which is used to manage the pain. Also: WE ALREADY KNEW THIS ?
Phillipa Soo
After millions of years of human menstruation, doctors finally conclude that period cramps can be as painful as a heart attack. Said every person with a uterus ever:
??ââï¸â¨
I saw doctors ruled period cramps as painful as a heart attack and I just wanna say bout fucking time.
kat
Doctors Have Finally Confirmed What Women Have Been Saying For
Image: Giphy
For years, weve suffered! Missed work, missed school, missed LIFE for anywhere between 3-10 days a fucking month. Weve told you this shit hurts. Weve explained that its not FINE, its not MILD, its not BEARABLE. Period cramps can be absolutely debilitating. I mean, its nice for people to finally realize this and validate our suffering? But I feel like we couldve sorted this out years ago, if medical professionals would have just listened.
I once saw a young woman having a heart attack in the ED. She described the pain as like period pain but in her chest.
Read Also: How Much Delay In Periods Is Normal
Its Just Nature Right
Maybe its the fact that we go through menstruation every damn month of our fertile years that the majority of men just dont get it. Something that is so regular, so not-out-of-the-ordinary couldnt possibly be debilitating and painful, right? Those of us that suffer obviously know otherwise. Just as every woman experiences a different flow , a womans menstruation can also change throughout her life. Early puberty may be met with vile period pains, which ease into adulthood, then things get very messy after giving birth a couple of times and the cramps return with a whole heap of new symptoms into pre-menopause.
What must be stressed is that extreme pain during menstruation is not normal. It may not be out of the ordinary but it deserves to be investigated by a sympathetic doctor to rule out any underlying causes. Finding a sympathetic doctor may just prove to be more of a pain than the cramp youre trying to treat though.
Why Is My Girlfriend So Emotional On Her Period
Why does it happen? The exact reason for sadness and PMS before and during your period arent definitively known. However, experts believe that the drop in estrogen and progesterone, which occurs after ovulation, is a trigger. These hormones reduce production of serotonin, a chemical neurotransmitter.
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