Women all over the world can come to terms with one kind of pain they have to go through every month, and that is Menstrual cramps. These short-timed, yet extremely painful cramps are more than just a slight discomfort, they almost make you want to die than actually go through them again. For some, the situation is, even more, worse than this particular instance.
However, there are many who still feel that all of this is nothing but a bunch of useless excuses women give to get out of something. Haven’t we all heard responses like, “oversharing”, “dramatic” and “crazy” when we talk about our problem with others?
For those afflicted minds, there’s a study conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians that states, menstrual cramps can be as painful as heart attacks. Coming across the study, there are so many women across the world who have known and experienced this fact for so long.
The current outpouring of commentary on social media by a bunch of women was prompted by a piece that appeared on Marie Claire‘s website on Feb. 27, but which was originally published on Elle UK. As per the piece, the suffering is indeed a real one and not something women are being “dramatic” about.
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.”
It might come off as a shock for many, along with a nod from women, not all women go through the same level of pain. However, the one who actually faces it is often told to be calm about it, in fact, many researchs and studies have quoted in the past, that ignoring women’s pain has been a concerning medical practice for forever.
Reacting to the Marie Claire piece, a bunch of women responded with what basically accounts to “duh, we knew it”.
rt if you knew this already https://t.co/9RXQz1Q8Wr
— z (@kitttenqueen) February 27, 2018
We've beeeeeen saying ☹️😔😣
I was once sedated because the pain was so excruciating, the only way I couldn't "feel" it was if I was sedated. https://t.co/lPQrfpHDcg— Ottilia Anna MaSibanda (@MaS1banda) February 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/DelilahSDawson/status/968669693266550786
I mean, I guess I’m glad, but I could have told you that at approximately age 11 https://t.co/prKDE7o9vs
— Dr. J is "openly Black" (@learnteachwin) February 28, 2018
Yes, nothing is true until a man confirms it.
— KatherineTattersfiel (@CaliCre8ive) February 28, 2018
When it takes a man to confirm that cramps is as painful as a heart attack as if we haven't been experiencing it for years 😒 #Periods #MenstruationMatters https://t.co/Ok7q6q4LLi
— Linda Afya (@LindaAfyaKe) February 28, 2018
"PeRiOd CrAmPs ArE jUsT aS BaD aS bEiNg KiCkEd iN tHe BaLls" face ass https://t.co/AG8m7Z7Smd
— Mr. Feder (@misterfeder) February 27, 2018
“aWw bUt isNt It JuSt lIkE hAvInG a StOmaCh aChE” https://t.co/pqz4BjRZTi
— Aunty Chinny (@ChinnyOh) February 27, 2018
Not being funny but like. We know. I’ve ended up in a&e before thanks to my ovaries. https://t.co/rIsP2F78xg
— Zoe London (@zoelondondj) February 28, 2018
When I was in labor with my first child, I didn't know I was in labor because the pain wasn't as bad as my monthly cramps!!
— she persisted 🦋 (@kdkneisley) February 28, 2018
I got fired from a job because I called off every cycle. My manager told me to come anyway once and I did to prove my point. And couldn’t work. And he sent me home. And I was fired the next week. Work places need to offer that window.
— micia (@DeMiciaValon) February 28, 2018
So women entitled to menstrual leave or nah? https://t.co/KEXeb8emUW
— . (@xandritepearl) February 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/lissychu/status/968665317055651840
And it’s about 5 times worse for women with pcos or endometriosis. I was taking 38 ibuprofen a day just to get thru my workday when I had endometriosis. It felt like barbed wire inside my abdominals was being yanked in all directions.
— quitetheyear (@burnrate100) February 28, 2018
Severe cramps can mean a serious medical problem and most dr's ignore. I suffered for years. Rolled up in a fetal position every month for 18 years – told to deal w it. One dr listened. He found advanced endometriosis and fibroids. Dr's need to listen
— Debi💙💙💙 (@BronteFan2) February 28, 2018
https://twitter.com/LongsPeak14259/status/968849243082448898
Also let’s talk about this framing for a second. Doctors are not more educated about our pain than we are. They don’t make these determinations. Some of us are out of breath because we have been screaming into the ether about our pain & no one hears us. https://t.co/Qa7MArtnyC
— Someone, Somewhere (@CapobiaNB) February 28, 2018
Let’s get real about the issue. Menstruation is still a taboo in this country, even after the arrival of Akshay Kumar’s Padman, which makes the entire scenario of menstrual cramps an even distant dream. However, one needs to understand that there’s a big difference in discomfort and death-like pain, in case, you’re someone who goes through those severe menstrual cramps, consult your gynecologist and tell them about your problem. Stop sweeping this problem under the rug and get yourself consultation, before it turns into something worse and dangerous.
Jyotsna Amla