Periods aren't meant to Bloody Hurt
Read that again
Its the name of my book and I think I should make Tee’s with it on too.
Honestly, periods shouldn’t hurt. It is one of the biggest red flags. The BIGGEST. Think Honey I shrunk the kids and one of them trying to wave a fitted sheet. It’s that big a flag.
Period pain makes money, it has become the most excepted form of pain in our society. You perhaps have been in a conversation where it’s like period pain top trumps. No one really cares about it, thinks its odd, deems it a suitable excuse for anything - thanks to anything you can do I can do with intense pain and heavy bleeding campaign.
It is NOT ok never will be never was.
Pain is a communication tool in your body. It says stop please, something isn’t right. There is a very rare condition called Congenital insensitivity to pain and anhydrosis (CIPA). If you google this the first thing you will see is how dangerous it is to live in a world where you don’t feel pain. Pain is your boundaries, you stub your toe, you swear like a MOFO and you hobble about your poor toe is front and centre as it throbs turns blue with a bruise and won’t let you walk on it until it feels better.
Your uterus is the same as that stubbed toe, alright you might not catch it on the skirting board in the middle of the night but the sentiment it the same.
If you are
Needing to take medications
Changing your breathing to get through cramps
Needing to lie down curl into a ball
Not able to concentrate on the task in hand
Suddenly incapacitated with pain
Have intense cramps that build and make you do the above
Make you feel sick, faint, cold/hot and sweaty
Make you groan
Need to use a tens machine
Needing to use heat pads and hot water bottles so hot they leave marks
This is not ‘normal’ period. Periods should not make you feel or need to do any of these above things.
This is signalling that you have a high chance of having Endometriosis and/or Adenomyosis and this needs further investigations. Adeno can get seen via an ultrasound scan (USS) this will be done usually externally and internally. Endo sometimes can show on a CT or MRI scan but gold standard is a laparoscopy.
If you or someone you know struggles like this they need to be seen and taken seriously. Do not be fobbed off with taking synthetic hormones, pain killers or being told to have a baby. This needs to be investigated pronto - and lets be honest pronto currently isn’t a word associated with our poor health service.
I know it can seem a real struggle. Get an appointment with your GP, take a trusted friend or family member with you. Write out the questions you want to get answers on, give them to your person coming with you. Make sure they are someone who will advocate for you and that you ask all the questions. Record the appointment if you want to. DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT A REFERRAL. Rinse and repeat this with your consultation with the gyne team.
You do not need to struggle through this. If you would like some support in navigating this you can contact me via email gemma@thewellwomanproject.com
You can book in for a free discovery call if you would like to find out more about how you can work with me.
If you would like herbal support you can find out how to access my potions shop here