ive seen countless posts that complain about women being portrayed doing all sorts of vigorous activities while on their period, and i agree that its annoying to diminish the fact that women DO and COMMONLY face mood swing, fainting, extreme pain, ect ect. But, the other half of these posts is saying that its impossible for women to do these things due to the side affects of periods that happen to every woman. i dont get this, so many people dont have bad ones and do all sorts of things while on it. Like i think the majority of women do struggle with it, but it doesnt invalidate other experiences.
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I think we get so jaded by our own bad experiences that we can’t fathom how it can be different from other people. My periods were so bad that I had an ablation in my mid-thirties, but when I found out a friend had periods that lasted 2-3 days and were light enough for just a panty liner I didn’t believe her because it was so wildly different from my own experience.
Hi, I’ve experienced every single one of the symptoms you listed, so I feel qualified to answer this. Normal periods last 3-5 days, with cramping for 1-2 days that goes away with OTC pain meds. Anything beyond that is typically caused by underlying issues. Society expects women to function normally on their periods because most women don’t notice a huge shift in their health.
Fainting isn’t a normal symptom. This can be caused by a few different things but major blood pressure changes are especially uncommon.
It’s normal to be a little more irritable before your period but only about 5% of women experience sadness, increased relationship issues, anxiety etc due to premenstrual disorders.
10% of women have endometriosis, which can cause extreme pain, but is treatable. Many women go untreated though and are gaslit by people who think they’re exaggerating the “normal period pain” above(1-2 days mild cramping).
I’d highly recommend to see a doctor if you’re experiencing any of the above. There are treatments that help a lot. Having my first healthy period was a shock to my system because it barely interfered with my life at all. I was like “you’re telling me this is how most people live?” Haha. We don’t talk enough about what is normal & healthy. Too many women simply suffer with these major health issues for decades.