A scientific survey for those who have periods

[LividLove]

So, off the back of the "painkillers" thread I am genuinely fascinated by women's varying experiences with period pain.
I have a host of gynae conditions, but kind of just assume that everyone has a similar level of pain and pops paracetamol like Haribo (within safe limits). But perhaps that isn't the case.

Can you answer my poll, for science (and curiosity)? Or add a comment.

In the title who are those?

What's your poll?

Women!

Don't worry, I'm not a Keir Starmer! (or a Tory, but whatever, tell me about your period pain!!!!)

Could you adjust your survey to be about pain and not drug dosages? Drug dosage isn’t a good proxy for pain levels.

I have the most horrendous period pain but take no pain killers for personal reasons. I use drug free methods of pain relief. My pain is not any less for not taking pain killers, it has even caused me to faint.

Perhaps, just perhaps, she was alluding to the fact that not every woman has periods (you know, those who've had hysterectomies, gone through the menopause etc).

But far easier to jump to conclusions and try and make it into an anti trans issue. Pure Mumsnet.

Another one that gets some pain but doesn’t take painkillers.

Sorry, should have quoted PP!

Good point.

It won't let me adjust it now, so feel free to add in comments if that's relevant. Out of interest, what drug free methods do you find helpful?

Microwave heat pad, hot water bottle, naps (sleep through it- yes I take a day off work if needed).

I can’t really vote then, but I think my comments have expressed zero drugs but high pain

I might have skewed your data a bit, sorry. I clicked TENS machine because that's what I use, I'm not sure whether it's worse than someone who uses paracetamol as such? I just have a TENS machine for other conditions, and ibuprofen and paracetamol do nothing for me. Although perhaps the fact that they do nothing is significant (it's not a general resistance as such, they don't work for my chronic pain either but do work for normal headaches).

I had bad pain for the first 2 or 3 years I had periods (started at 14). Climbing the wall, squirming agony type pain for the first couple of days each month.

I used heat pads and paracetamol/ibuprofen.

I went on the pill which completely fixed it, and when I came off the pill 10 years later it was still fixed so I'm very lucky not to have had to take painkillers for my period in over 20 years.

In bed for 2 days, more due to heavy bleeding than pain, but the pain is bad too.

Pop a couple of regular painkillers but they dont seem to do much so don't always bother.

46 now, so hanging in there till they stop. Cannot come quick enough.

I selected Max dose option but in reality its not the whole week. Its 2 days of living hell, followed by a 3 days general discomfort then a couple of hours of agony on the final day.

I think the problem with this survey is pain threshold is quite individual.

Edited to add that I guess not exactly drug free but I have found CBD infused tampons a revelation. Hot water bottle or heat patches help. A friend uses menthol patches and raves about them, but this made my pain worse.

Interesting. And I'm sorry you experience it.

I don't have the sort of job where it's possible to be off monthly, I genuinely don't know what I'd do without painkillers, so hats off to you for somehow getting through. It's torturous enough with.

Had the most hideous period pain from the time I started at 13, very much linked to bowel movements and would ratchet up to passing out levels if I needed a poo and wasn't able to go. I used to take the really strong period specific painkillers (can't remember what they were called) and it only eased when I went on the pill. Cramps would still be bad but manageable with regular painkillers.

Not sure of this is relevant but I never get any pain during my period, yet…. They are so heavy! Heavier than the norm
for sure when I speak to friends etc and to put it in to context I needed a
blood transfusion from 1 horrificly bad period because I lost that much blood. Again though I have zero pain which is strange…. (And I’m not good with pain of any kind!)

CBD what now????!!!!!!

That's blown my mind.

not exactly drug free but I have found CBD infused tampons a revelation

What?! I never knew about these, and now it is almost too late for me to need them!

Sorry but I had no pain during my 40 years of having periods finished now). They were sometimes uncomfortable but never painful.

Nothing on your poll is relevant for me.

I had sever period pain, debilitating. I had 2 Feminax as soon as the pain started and that stopped the pain. Nothing else worked and I only needed that 1 dose for each period.

@LividLove Check out Daye tampons. I have found they take the edge off for me, sort of tension relief rather than pain relief, so I do combine with pain killers but they have meant I've reduced my ibuprofen dosage levels by half during my worst days.

I will say for anyone interested, I don't find them to be the best tampons. Not awful, but room for improvement, especially in terms of absorbency but I would still recommend strongly.

I've never felt pain or even discomfort with my periods. I started having periods when I was 10 and I'm 44 now so I'm probably almost done with them. I don't get cramps and don't notice it's even happening really - I swim, exercise, run around soft play, have sex as normal.

I had heavy periods due to a fibroid for a while, but it didn't cause pain, it was just very inconvenient (think huge clots filling up a mooncup within 10 mins of emptying, bleeding for 25 days straight). But I had the fibroid removed and periods are light now.

So currently (the world's least scientific) poll is suggesting that my level of pain is outside the norm. Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Started at nearly 16, Never had any pain at all, not even a twinge or heaviness till after I had children at 35 and then went into peri in early 40s. Prior to that they were relatively light and lasted 3-4 days. Wasn't any better on hrt, which I have since had to come off.

Periods are dwindling to one every 6-8 weeks, heavy ish but only a couple of days (I'm on tamoxifen) and I get a bit of dragging before they start now.

Apparently (according to lara briden) oestrogen increases in peri while prog decreases which is when I had some pretty bad cramps (not always though.)

I have none to very mild discomfort/pain. Not enough to merit taking painkillers. I'm 52 and have very heavy perimenopausal periods, but I have not once in my life taken painkillers for period pain.