It’s the shattered confidence when you realize that you got all dressed up for nothing, because you bled through before you even got to the party.

Much of the time I am able-bodied, but for several days every month I am in pain from cramps, my back aches because my uterus is so heavy (equivalent to a 20-week pregnancy), and every time I stand I have to go straight to the bathroom to clean up blood and clots.

But it’s just a period they say.

Just what exactly is one supposed to do when their doctor expresses great concern for your health and then never returns your calls?

I can’t pretend that I’m okay anymore. I can’t just clean up in the bathroom then come back out with a smile anymore. I can’t suck it up and grit my teeth through cramps anymore. I can’t just line my panties and pray anymore.

No one believes me. It’s just a period they insist.

Women doctors and medical professionals that blow off period issues are the actual worst.

Y’all do realize that other women come to you specifically because you are a woman and they’re hoping you can relate, right?

And then you turn around and act like a man. Utter betrayal.

I’m just being dramatic though.

These pads ARE NOT absorbent. Diva cups and tampons are uncomfortable and I still bleed through. I got written up because I couldn’t work for days and my doctor says it’s just a period, not an fmla situation.

What are people experiencing this supposed to do?

Changed my pad less than an hour ago.

This will the the third pair of pants I’ve bled through in 24 hours.

I don’t know why I’m here. Probably mostly to bitch about being kept in the dark as a child, forced to figure it out on my own, and blown off by doctors as an adult.

I want to talk openly about my experiences because I don’t think I’m alone in this and I don’t want to be alone in this anymore.

Let’s talk about that first period experience.

In the 90s my school system didn’t really do sex ed so it was up to our parents to fill those gaps.

Growing up with a mother who worships James Dobson and Focus on the Family, I didn’t get The Talk.

✔️Menorrhagia with Irregular Cycle
✔️Dysmenorrhea
✔️Anemia
✔️Intramural Leiomyoma of Uterus
✔️Subserous Leiomyoma of Uterus
✔️Hemorrhagic Ovarian Cyst
✔️Displacement of Intrauterine Contraceptive Device

Hysterectomy scheduled and then canceled due to severe anemia.

Still waiting for relief.

My mom didn’t talk to me about sex or periods unless it was through an evangelical lens of shame.

The damage from that still causes harm today.

Ever stand up and it’s an immediate gush of gore?

How about when you’re not expecting your period yet?

What happened next?