Period pain - it might be common, but it's not "normal"

Waking up at 4am with intense period cramps. 3/4 weeks spent with daily cramping. Panadol. Neurofen. Ponstan. Heat packs. All the heat packs. Walking around the house bent over. Lying on the floor, rolled up in a ball. Bloating so much that I feel like I can barely breath. Belly so round and hard, so full of air. So painful. More cramps. More pain.

But this is all normal, right? Just "part of being a woman"? That might be what doctors have told me time and time again over the years, but I am finally putting my foot down. So much period pain is not "normal" and just because doctors might see it a lot, because it is COMMON, does not make it NORMAL.

Common: (adjective) If something is common, it is found in large numbers or it happens often.

Normal: (adjective) Something that is normal is usual and ordinary, and is what people expect.

(Collins Dictionary, 2025)

It should not be usual, ordinary and expected to experience debilitating period pain each month. It may well be common - in which case surely it's time science put in some effort to help the millions of women regularly experiencing menstrual-related issues? - but it is not and never should be treated as normal.

Over the years, from age 15, I have seen many different doctors at many different medical practices. I have asked for help, time and time again. And each time I have been met with "that's normal, just take these over-the-counter pain meds and/or go on this hormonal birth control and you'll be fine." I have given various over-the-counter pain meds, including one doctor making out that they were giving me some life-changing medication when in reality I had already been taking said medication for years with no improvements seen - they had not thought to check with me beforehand (or look at my medical records), not thought that maybe I had already tried all the things. I have been put on hormonal birth control pills time and time again, despite the fact that these pills extended my period by a week and did little to address the pain. And worst of all is when doctors, or well-meaning relatives, have told me how "the pain all goes away once you have give birth." That's all well and good, but what about helping me now?! What about actually addressing the pain, rather than offering bandaid "solutions"? I am not about to bring a child into the world purely to see if childbirth eases my period pain.

I am convinced that if period pain were a men's problem, and not a women's one, it wouldn't be a problem anymore; science would have long ago addressed the core issues and provided appropriate solutions (because news flash - having a baby is NOT an appropriate solution). Goodness, if any of women's problems - morning sickness, childbirth pain, childbirth complications, PCOS, PMDD, period pain, heavy periods, menopause, etc. etc. etc. - were men's problems, they would all have been addressed eons ago.

Don't believe me? The facts are plain to see. For example, an approximated $44 million funds endometriosis research (with 1 in 3 women estimated to be facing reproductive and/or menstrual issues) compared to $1.24 billion funding erectile dysfunction research (which affects just 19% of men). If you're interested in further reading: https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/studying-endometriosis-with-mice

All of this is why I have decided to put my foot down for myself. I cannot and will not continue to put up with debilitating period pain month in and month out for the rest of my menstruating life. I deserve help. I deserve to have my pain investigated, not just given birth control pills as a bandaid for cramps. I deserve to be believed and to be heard.

Next month I visit the gynaecologist for the first time (it only took many doctors appointments over the course of a year to finally get this referral, sigh). Next month, I visit the gynaecologist and I continue to advocate for myself.

https://www.healthline.com/health/facts-statistics-menstruation

For further reading regarding women's medical history, and the centuries of medical misogyny that women have experienced, I recommend the book "Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World" by Elinor Cleghorn. You can find it here: https://www.hachette.com.au/elinor-cleghorn/unwell-women-a-journey-through-medicine-and-myth-in-a-man-made-world