Because your uterus isn’t the problem, the way we treat it is.

The Problem Isn’t Your Period—It’s the Silence Around It

Every month, millions of women, girls, and menstruating people around the world experience a biological event that would bring most grown men to their knees. And they’re expected to do it while smiling, working, caregiving, cooking, bleeding, and not complaining too loudly.

Let’s be clear: menstruation isn’t shameful—it’s sacrificial.

And yet we’ve been taught to hide period pain, minimize it, and suffer in silence while society acts like we’re overreacting for needing a heating pad and a nap.

Let’s Talk About the Pain (That You Were Told Is Normal)

Period pain is real. It’s not in your head. And it’s not supposed to destroy your life.

Yet so many of us were taught to just deal with it—to push through the cramps, the fatigue, the heavy bleeding—as if it’s all just part of being a woman. But here’s the truth: just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s normal. Real pain could be a sign of something more, and you deserve to be heard, not dismissed.

Savage Stat Check:

• 84% of women experience menstrual pain.
• For 1 in 10, that pain is debilitating.
• Period pain can be as intense as a heart attack, according to reproductive health expert Dr. John Guillebaud.
• Despite that, women wait 16 minutes longer than men to receive pain medication in the ER.

So why do we treat period pain like an inconvenience instead of the medical condition it can be?

What’s Actually Happening in Your Body

Ever wonder what’s really going on during your period—beyond the cramps, cravings, period pain, and mood swings? Your body isn’t just randomly falling apart once a month. There’s a complex hormonal dance happening behind the scenes, and understanding it can help you feel more in control (and a little less at war with your uterus). Let’s break it down.

• Hormones drop (estrogen and progesterone)
• The uterine lining sheds (bleeding)
• The uterus contracts (hello cramps)
• Prostaglandins trigger inflammation and pain (your body’s version of screaming internally)
• And depending on the person, you may also experience:
  
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Breast tenderness
  • Mood swings, rage, and/or depression
  • Fatigue so severe it mimics chronic illness

You are not being dramatic. You are being gaslit by a system designed to ignore your pain.

Red Flags That Deserve Investigation

Not all period symptoms are just “part of the deal.” Some signs like intense pain, extreme fatigue, or heavy bleeding could be your body’s way of waving a giant red flag. If something feels off, it probably is. Here are the symptoms you shouldn’t ignore and why they’re worth looking into.

These are NOT normal:

• Cramps/period pain that interfere with your ability to function
• Bleeding through super pads/tampons in under 2 hours
• Pain during sex
• Chronic fatigue or fainting during your period
• Having to miss school, work, or life events regularly
• Debilitating mood swings that cause severe emotional dysregulation

Possible conditions they’re overlooking:

• Endometriosis
• PCOS
• Adenomyosis
• Fibroids
• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

And the biggest red flag of all? When your doctor dismisses all of this as “normal.”

Why It Takes YEARS to Get Diagnosed (If Ever)

Let’s talk about medical gaslighting especially when it comes to menstruation. Far too many people spend years being dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told their pain is “just part of being a woman.” The result? Conditions like endometriosis and PCOS go undiagnosed for far too long. Here’s why the system keeps failing us.

• The average time to diagnose endometriosis? 7–10 years.
• Many conditions are dismissed as “anxiety,” “stress,” or “hormonal.”
• Women are less likely to be believed about their pain than men.
• And Black women are even more likely to be ignored or misdiagnosed, leading to delayed treatment and higher mortality.

Your pain is real. Your intuition is valid. You deserve answers, not antidepressants as a default.

Practical (and Holistic) Tips to Support Your Cycle

Now that we’ve acknowledged the rage, let’s talk solutions for period pain, real ones that don’t involve being told to “just relax” or “drink more water.” These practical and holistic tips are here to support your cycle in ways that actually make sense—and respect your intelligence.

Immediate Support for Period Pain:

• Heat therapy: Heating pads, warm baths, or hot water bottles
• Magnesium: Reduces cramping and mood swings (look for glycinate or citrate)
• Omega-3s: Fights inflammation—add fish oil or chia/flax
• Hydration + electrolytes: Especially if you’re bleeding heavily
• Pain relief: Don’t suffer in silence. Track what works and advocate for what you need

Long-Term Support for Period Pain:

• Cycle tracking apps: Know your patterns, predict flares, and protect your peace
• Nutrition: Reduce processed sugar and dairy if inflammation spikes your symptoms
• Movement: Gentle stretching or walking—motion is lotion
• Support groups & education: You are not alone, even if your doctor makes you feel like it
• Ask for testing: Hormones, ultrasounds, laparoscopy if necessary. Demand data, not just opinions.

Missing Gaps No One Talks About

There’s a lot of talk about periods but so many important pieces are still missing from the conversation. From the lack of education to the silence around menstrual disorders, these gaps leave people confused, misinformed, and unsupported. It’s time to shine a light on what no one’s saying—but should be.

1. Lack of Education = Lifelong Suffering

Many of us got our “period education” from awkward health class videos or whispered bathroom convos with equally confused friends. The basics were barely covered—let alone discussions about what’s actually normal. So when people experience extreme pain or irregular cycles, they often assume it’s just their personal curse. Without proper knowledge, many suffer silently for years, never realizing that what they’re going through isn’t just unfortunate—it’s a medical issue that deserves attention.

2. Cultural Shame Keeps Us Silent

From hiding tampons up our sleeves to quietly panicking about bleeding through our pants, the cultural messaging is clear: menstruation is something to be ashamed of. We’re taught to keep it hidden, to act like everything is fine—even when we’re in pain. This shame keeps people from speaking up, seeking help, or even understanding their own bodies. But periods aren’t gross. They’re powerful, natural, and long overdue for some serious destigmatization.

3. Menstruators Outside the Binary Are Ignored

Trans men, nonbinary individuals, and intersex people experience periods too—but are often completely left out of the conversation. Menstrual products, healthcare forms, and even awareness campaigns overwhelmingly cater to cisgender women, erasing the experiences of so many others. This lack of inclusion creates serious gaps in care, leaving many feeling invisible and unsupported in spaces that should be safe and affirming.

4. The Workplace Has Zero Empathy

There’s no sick leave for period pain, no “cramps day” policy, and zero understanding from most employers. People are expected to show up, smile, and power through—even when they’re bleeding heavily, nauseous, or in so much pain they can barely stand. It’s a system built without menstruators in mind. And let’s be honest—if men had periods, we’d probably have federally protected rest days and heated recliners in every office bathroom by now.

Final Truth: Bleeding Is a Superpower, Not a Weakness

You are shedding. Releasing. Renewing.

Every month, your body says, “Let go.” And every month, you show up anyway.

But showing up doesn’t mean suffering period pain in silence.

Let’s demand better—better education, better care, better respect.

Here’s the real tea on what it actually costs to have a menstrual cycle:

1. The Financial Breakdown: Period Poverty Is Real AF

Between pads, tampons, pain relief, new underwear, heating pads, birth control, and surprise trips to the doctor, the cost of menstruation adds up fast. Over a lifetime, the average menstruator spends more than $18,000 just to manage a natural bodily function. And that doesn’t even include the emotional toll or the unpaid sick days. It’s expensive to bleed—literally and figuratively.

That’s for:

• Pads, tampons, liners, menstrual cups: $10–$20/month = ~$7,000+
• Pain relief meds, supplements, heating pads = ~$4,000
• Birth control (hormonal for cycle regulation) = ~$3,000–$4,000
• New underwear, ruined clothes, sheets, mattress protectors, etc. = ~$2,000+
• Doctor visits, misdiagnoses, surgeries for untreated issues = priceless trauma

And that’s if you’re lucky enough to not have a chronic condition like PCOS, endo, or fibroids—which easily racks up to tens of thousands more in medical bills.

2. The Time Tax: You Lose Weeks of Your Life to This

Periods don’t just cost money—they cost your time, energy, and freedom. When you add up all the hours spent dealing with cramps, doctor visits, managing symptoms, and recovering from intense fatigue, it quickly turns into weeks lost over a lifetime. This “time tax” is rarely acknowledged but it seriously impacts work, school, social life, and overall wellbeing.

• The average cycle lasts 5–7 days. That’s up to 84 days per year.
• Add in PMS? You’re looking at almost half your month affected by hormone swings, pain, fatigue, cravings, emotional dysregulation, and foggy thinking.

Multiply that by 40 years of menstruating?

You lose more than 6 years of your life managing a condition no one teaches you how to survive, let alone thrive through.

3. The Productivity Tax: You’re Expected to Bleed & Perform

Even while bleeding and battling period pain, society expects you to show up and perform like nothing’s wrong. The unspoken rule is clear: period symptoms don’t warrant a break, and productivity can’t take a day off. This pressure to “keep going” turns a natural bodily process into a daily battle—one that drains energy and chips away at your wellbeing.

• We show up to school, work, and parenting while actively in pain, often worse than what men are sent home from work for.
• There’s no “cramp leave.” No sick days for hormonal hell/period pain.
• Your output is expected to stay the same, even if you’re bleeding through your pants and your soul.

And if you do take time off?

You’re seen as weak, lazy, unreliable.

Menstruation is treated like a flaw instead of a full-body event that deserves compassion.

4. The Emotional Cost: Gaslit, Ignored, Shamed

Beyond the physical pain, the emotional toll of menstruation and period pain is heavy. Many people are gaslit by doctors, ignored by loved ones, and shamed by society for simply experiencing their bodies. This constant dismissal chips away at self-worth and leaves lasting scars that no painkiller can fix.

• Being told it’s “normal” when you can’t walk from the pain
• Being called “moody” or “hormonal” when you’re literally experiencing a hormonal crash
• Being excluded from sex ed, health decisions, or medical care because you’re “just a woman”
• Being scared to bleed through your jeans at work, school, church, or on a date
• Internalizing the idea that this pain is your fault to carry

This isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s psychological warfare.

5. The Safety Tax: Managing Blood in a World Built for Men

Navigating periods means managing your blood in a world that wasn’t designed with you in mind. From public bathrooms without proper disposal options to workplaces lacking basic supplies, menstruators constantly face unsafe or uncomfortable situations. This “safety tax” adds stress and anxiety to an already challenging experience, making something natural feel unnecessarily difficult.

• No trash cans in men’s room stalls for trans men or nonbinary people
• Public shame if you bleed through, even though it’s NORMAL
• Sneaking pads into sleeves. Whispering for a tampon. Hiding leaks with a jacket
• Still no universal menstrual leave or accommodations in most jobs
• Still no healthcare systems that treat menstruation with respect unless you’re actively trying to get pregnant

Bleeding is natural. But the way we treat it is brutal.

Let’s Talk About Solutions:

• Normalize cycle-based productivity and rest
• Abolish tampon taxes
• Push for universal menstrual leave in schools and workplaces
• Educate EVERYONE (not just girls) about periods
• Provide free access to menstrual products
• Fund menstrual health research the same way we fund erectile dysfunction meds
• Create shame-free spaces for menstruators to get support, guidance, and validation

You’re paying a blood tax for existing.

And you’re still showing up, glowing up, working, parenting, learning, surviving.

Don’t ever let anyone downplay what it costs to have a uterus and still rise every month.