I’ll never forget the first time I had to explain my monthly pain to someone who had never experienced it. I was at work, and out of nowhere, the pain hit like a wave crashing over me, sudden and unforgiving. I knew what was coming. Within an hour, I’d be in hell.

The pain wasn’t sharp, nor was it like a throbbing headache. It was more of an unrelenting ache that just kept building, pulling me down, and threatening to drown me. It started as a dull pressure in my lower abdomen, and within minutes, I could feel the intensity rising. 

I would stumble to the bathroom, sweating, trying to cool down, desperate to lie on the cold, hard tile floor to soothe the burning discomfort. My body would spasm, and I’d roll around in pain, moaning, too exhausted to even cry. There was nothing I could do but let it consume me.

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Sometimes, it felt like the world was fading, and I could feel my vision going black at the edges, the tingling in my fingers and toes growing stronger. The pain was so overpowering that I thought I would pass out.

One day, it hit at work. The familiar wave of pain crashed over me, bringing nausea with it, and soon enough, I was vomiting. My co-workers were shocked. They wanted to call a cab to take me to the hospital, but I shook my head, still writhing in pain.

I was too tired to even explain what was happening. I just needed to get home. I wanted to sleep, hoping that when I woke up, the pain would have passed.

I told them that my boyfriend would come to pick me up. I explained that this wasn’t a one-off thing; it happened every month. But they couldn’t believe it. “Monthly?” they asked, their voices tinged with disbelief. I felt embarrassed. How could I explain that this was just part of my life? That it wasn’t something rare or dramatic, but a battle I fought silently every month?

I’d learned to take pain relievers in advance, but sometimes they weren’t fast enough to stop the onslaught. And no one could understand the level of pain until they felt it themselves. It was hard to explain the exhaustion, the cold sweats, the dizziness. Most people couldn’t comprehend that something so natural could feel so debilitating.

What shocks me most isn’t the pain anymore, it’s how easily people dismiss it. How they assume you’re exaggerating, being dramatic, or just dealing with "normal cramps." But what I experience every month is anything but normal. It’s debilitating. It’s consuming. And for so long, I felt like I had to just live with it.

I’m sharing this because I know I’m not the only one. If you’re reading this and nodding along, just know you’re not alone. And if you’ve never experienced this, I hope my story helps you understand that for some of us, periods are a battle we fight every month.

Adapted from a story originally shared on Reddit.

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