Image ID: a black and orange image of Sisyphus pushing up a boulder. The boulder is labeled “the fucking menstrual cycle”.

A few days after my period ends I just blissfully forget about it until one day I wake up and notice my crotch looks like someone was murdered there. Super duper fun.

  • SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz
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    3 months ago

    My period started at the age of 11. Within a year, on the very first day my period would start, the cramps would be so bad that I would start vomiting & fainting. It would last around 2 days. EVERY. SINGLE. FUCKING. MONTH.

    Some piece of shit doctor told my parents this it was completely normal, and that I was probably just being dramatic. My parents were also religious, so BC was absolutely NOT an option.

    Finally, in my 20s, my period finally came back several months after I had my kid. It wasn’t that bad! … for a while. A few years later, that pain came back, I was like “haha fukkin nope” and looked into BC.

    Found a pill, it up cleared my skin & I now have a period that lasts like 20 minutes once a month. I fucking love it!!

    Also, that pain I was experiencing fucked up my body forever, apparently. So, ladies, fucking insist on getting severe pains checked out. It’s NOT normal, and you deserve to get it looked at and taken seriously.

    • Carpinchodormilon@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Endometriosis is often underdiagnosed because of this and even other problems that may not even have to do with the uterus like UTI which can hurt in a similar way you’ll get the “it’s just your period”. There are so many bad doctors like that even female doctors because the truth is that the female body hasn’t been studied as much as the male body so there’s still a lot that they’re not sure of.aq And it’s not just women, because skin ailments have been studied mostly in white people the conditions are described like what they look like in fair skin and they may look completely different in other complexions. Good for you for finding that pill!! I feel bad for 11yo you for having to go through all that pain. Women and girls deserve better treatment

      • Vilian@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        There was decades of shame and hiding both from woman and men, that not help especially with older doctors, hopefully newer generations overcome this issue

    • ellabee@sh.itjust.works
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      3 months ago

      imagine you start to get your shit together, start some habits to get you on a better footing, and then there’s a week where you just can’t every month. and maybe there’s also a mid-month slump, because hormones suck.

      i didn’t see a therapist until i had one weekend to run all the errands, see doctors and vets, clean the house up… there was just the one weekend where i was sure i’d have enough of an upswing.

      -general anxiety and depression diagnosis, plus PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoria disorder), the drugs are great and i’m better now

    • Wxnzxn@lemmy.ml
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      3 months ago

      So, I’m a guy, so no first-hand experience, but I know at least two women personally, who unfortunately had additional issues with PMS-like symptoms and general increased emotional/psychological issues with what I think was this category of contraceptives. So, as always, look into what might work for you and stay aware of how your body and mind react. Just mentioning that, because both also had problems with doctors, including gynecologists, basically gaslighting them about how they are supposed to feel.

      • gibmiser@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I don’t think so. Basically you are tricking your body into thinking you are pregnant and leaving it that way. Less eggs are released, less uterine walls being replaced. That should mean both more eggs later in life and less risk of uterine cancer.

        Of course you should ask a doctor about it. They gotta prescribe it anyways.

  • TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com
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    3 months ago

    Just remember as you sit outside in these summer evenings enjoying an open container, watching the sunset, that female bats still fly when they menstruate.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The Mirena IUD was (after a solid year of spotting) 5 years of no periods. I got it replaced, 6 more years no periods. That is 11 years no periods. Also the best birth control known to science right now, smaller failure rate than getting tubes tied or vasectomy. And none of the side effects I got with the pill.

    Not the copper IUD, that was a nightmare. 2 weeks bleeding, heavily like Carrie, one week off, repeat. Got so anemic I couldn’t go up stairs without panting. Terrible side effects with that one.

      • RBWells@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        It hurts. Some Gynecologists will offer anaesthesia, mine is more a “suck it up buttercup” lady but does tell the nurse to hold your hand. The worst part was definitely the depth sounding. Once that’s done, it goes in, some cramping, and as I noted, the first one I had the light spotting for nearly a year. I had already had kids, but my daughters reported similar experiences. They didn’t have the year of spotting but a couple months of spotting then nothing.

        One or two days of pain for six years of no periods and no pregnancies is a good deal I think. If you don’t have sex with men I still think it’s a good enough tradeoff for no periods. I left the last one in until my doctor was sure I was through menopause, that made it so easy.

        Birth control pills made my migraines so much worse, and raised my blood pressure. The hormonal IUD did neither of those.

  • SuperApples@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Just want to make sure everyone know about naproxen (Aleve, Naprogesic, etc), because I’m met several people in their 40’s who still didn’t know it exists. Over the counter, not a pain killer, targets the cause and stops cramps/nausea etc.

  • Peachy [they/them] @lemmy.blahaj.zoneM
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    3 months ago

    My wife used to be on Implanon (now Nexplanon) and she basically didn’t have a period for like 3 years. I think the new dose has protection for 5 years (it’s primarily a birth control that they implant into your arm)

      • Peachy [they/them] @lemmy.blahaj.zoneM
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        3 months ago

        Birth control has a WIDE range of symptoms. All birth control affects people differently (mostly due to a failure of the companies that produce the medications. Was primarily tested on white men originally… as most medications have been). Not sure that it can be definitively stated that it was entirely the medications fault, but apologies anyway.

        • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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          3 months ago

          what do you mean female birth control was tested on men? as much as people can be idiots that’s like testing hair removal on patrick stewart

          • Peachy [they/them] @lemmy.blahaj.zoneM
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            3 months ago

            Historically, women have been seen (medically) as just smaller men. The tests I’m talking about were to determine side-effects, not effectiveness of the medication. So while hair removal is for people with hair, you can still test on Patrick Stewart to see if there’s going to be chemical burns. But because it’s medication, and was mostly tested on white men, BIWOC were left mostly untested and are more likely to experience complications and different side-effects.

            Scientists just started this year (or last year I forget) using actual blood to test period products. They used colored water before. Our medical system has systematically left women to figure shit out on their own.

    • WIZARD POPE💫@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I keep telling my gf this is the solution anytime she complains about it.

      She does not seem to be up for the idea though.

  • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    This is why I got onto the depo shot.

    Other than one time where the shot was delayed a few days and during that delay I had True Hell Period, it’s been a great few years having basically no periods.

    (My periods before were 7 days on, with 3 days so heavy I couldn’t sleep longer than an hour or I’d bleed over. So the True Hell Period was…very bad)

      • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Get on psych meds and it’s a breeze. I’ve had no symptoms other than the odd period of being hot at night, can’t really call it a flash.

      • RBWells@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Mine was easy too, no hot flashes or anything, don’t even know when it happened since I had the IUD. but got the MHT, low dose estrogen & progesterone, because I was getting bladder infections and worried about osteoporosis (family history) realized I did have some symptoms because my balance came back (standing in one foot balance not like mental balance) and my thinking cleared up some, I was foggy but just figured it was normal. I freaking love this routine except for the fact that it’s made me medium sized rather than slender, which is a mindfuck - I feel really good otherwise, both in body and mind. And the weight gain increased my bone mass so I can’t even lose it.

        I think it’s 50% of women get symptoms like hot flashes - that’s a big chunk but certainly not everyone.

  • asudox@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The thing you call “Image ID” (for whatever reason) is actually called “alt text”