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As a man, I would never know the pain of giving birth, but I have heard that a really bad toothache is worse than your typical childbirth. Really depends on the individual, severity and how one deals with physical pain.
I've heard that the degree of pain with a stuck kidney stone approaches that of childbirth. You're right, though, it depends on the individual. I've gone through any number of types of pain, including a kinked ureter ( similar pain to that of a kidney stone), tooth abscesses, broken bones, crush injuries, menstrual and miscarriage cramps, and childbirth. I'd be hard pressed to pick which pain is worse at the time it occurs, so I can only say it's apples and oranges.
And the hormone that makes the uterus cramp up to expel the menstrual stuff can also trigger the bowels and the stomach to cramp, so not only can you have period cramps, but diarrhea and heartburn, too. It's a whole smorgasbord of blergh.
Ain't that the truth! This comment sums up the whole experience is four short words My cramps have gotten a lot worse over the years, especially this past year. I am 39 years old, and I'm not sure why that is. The weird thing is, I have very light periods, so light that I can't wear tampons without painful dryness. I am now using the menstrual cup, and that device is fantastic! I am surprised more women don't use it. It's much more comfortable, you can wear each one longer, and you can have sex with it in. As for the cramps, I now have them longer and must use a heating pad for a couple of days. They are by no means disabling compared to other women's, but they hurt a good deal more than before and I also get a migraine headache at the beginning of each cycle. All I need is Ibuprofen, the heating pad, and a headache pill for those 2-3 days, however.
To the ladies who take Ibuprofen, I have a tip for you: I take high dose Ibuprofen during that time (800 mg,) and your doc can write an RX for that high dose or even higher (also Tylenol and maybe others), and if you have insurance, you can buy it super cheap on your plan, because it's covered as a generic Tier I prescription drug. I got 90 of the 800 mg Ibuprofen pills for $6.00 with my insurance, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than popping 4 over the counter Walmart generics repeatedly, which add up quickly.
Meh. Most of my friends pretend they're feeling bad just because it's messy and easier to stay home the first day or two. I don't know anyone that truly was bedridden over cramps.
I know a lot of people who have been. I've known people who have stayed home, puked all over, had migraines and cramps so awful they couldn't even move.
I remember I went through a random two year period in HS where my periods were so bad on the first day or two I called my mom doubled over in pain, asking her to pick me up from school. I couldn't even make it home---I would stop in at my grandparents' house and lie in a fetal position feeling like someone was ever-so-slowly dragging a knife through my gut.
After that, it was much better. And ever since I started taking hormonal BC, I think I've had cramps 1-2x in almost ten years. Otherwise, except for the actual shedding of the uterus, I wouldn't know I'm getting my period.
Man you are a great boyfriend for trying to understand and help your girl.
As for the pain... well I once had what I thought was menstrual cramps that turned out to be kidney stones. No Joke. Boy that Vicodin didn't really help the stones much but it came in handy about once a month for quite a while.
I used to be flat out miserable and incapable of functioning for about the first 24 hours of every period. It is a very difficult thing for those if us who do suffer greatly at that time of the month.
Sitting with a heating pad across the stomach can really help. Soaking in a hot bath, any application of heat really will help to relax the muscles that cause all of the pain.
And speaking as someone who has ridden and trained horses for 35 years.. Horseback riding has never had an impact on the severity of my cramps. Also exercise of any kind never helped me feel better. What works best for me is to anticipate the start and begin taking 800mg of Ibuprofen every 4 hours BEFORE the pain gets going. And keep doing that for 24 hours.
You touched on something that always pissed me off.
WHY, WHY, WHY.....can't women have a few Vicodin to use once month on the worst days of their period?
I am pretty sure if men had to suffer menstrual pain it would me the norm.
Taking 4 to 6 Vicodin or an equivalent once a month would cause no harm whatsoever.
I am 62, so in my day it would have been Tylenol 3's or 4's and I often thought of all the things I wouldn't have missed out on if I could have had a few pain pills once a month. For 2 days a month I didn't go anywhere or do anything unless it was something I absolutely HAD to do like go to work or school. Two days a month for approximately 40 years is about 2 1/2 YEARS spent in pain....it's just not right when a few pills every month could have made all of the difference in the world.
Needless to say, I embraced menopause. Would I like my youth back? SURE.....but not if I had to take my periods back with it.
I've heard that the degree of pain with a stuck kidney stone approaches that of childbirth. You're right, though, it depends on the individual. I've gone through any number of types of pain, including a kinked ureter ( similar pain to that of a kidney stone), tooth abscesses, broken bones, crush injuries, menstrual and miscarriage cramps, and childbirth. I'd be hard pressed to pick which pain is worse at the time it occurs, so I can only say it's apples and oranges.
Childbirth also has quite a halo effect. You can be in sustained excruciating for hours, but rather than just ceasing, you get a cute, snuggly baby to hold; ie. the reward displaces the pain. I sure as heck don't remember much of the pain of childbirth. I remember the fact that I was in pain for a very very long time (and according to my husband's recollection, my head actually spun a few times), but I have no memory of the feeling itself. Heck, I don't even remember the details of the 2.5 hour surgery immediately following (with nothing but a little lidocain), because I was still riding the Baby High at that point.
Back the original question: every woman is different. Cramps don't bother me much, but the bloating and insomnia do.
OP, imagine, if someone had offended you painfully, deliberately, poking into your most tender spot, and then moved far away, and you don't know where, and you don't have his phone number, and the feeling is unbearable but you can't get any revenge, and you are mad, mad, mad, your hands are shaking, you can't think clearly, red blur over your field of vision, - that's a mental state of some women during PMS. A danger for the family, a danger on the road. Don't bug your GF if she doesn't want to talk.
The only thing I am a danger to during that time is the candy dish. SERIOUS chocolate cravings, even the kids candy stash isn't safe.
So my gf can often get painful cramps when she's on the rag and I do try to help as in I have gone to the store to buy her pads, tampons, midol etc. But really she doesn't like to talk about it which I can understand.
My question is for a man what would you say is the closest equivalent pain a man can get to what period cramps are like? How bad are they usually for you and does it impair your ability to function at all? My gf just stays in bed and covers up not saying much.
On a scale of 1-10 how painful would you rate yours on average? The worst pain I have felt is from an infected tooth, and while obviously not equivalent I can say the pain was something I wouldn't want my worst enemy to have lol. What do you think would be worse to go through, bad cramps or a bad tooth ache?
Getting kicked in the balls over and over again. My husband and I have already had this conversation and we came to this understanding. An infected tooth doesn't even come close.
You know that pain when you hit your thumb with a hammer? Really hard? And you're kinda breathless for a minute waiting for it to bloom? Then when it hits - it makes you gasp and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up? Yeah, that's kinda what it's like. Only you don't know when it will hit, and it's internal - you can't brace for it, you can't tense up or stretch out and have that help. Really all you can do is try to breath through it.
Now, pretend your thumb is deep inside your pelvis, connected to your genitals, and it's getting hit by an imaginary hammer several times an hour, at strengths that go from a mild tap to a full force pound (but you don't know which one it will be) - that gasping, blooming pain. Sometimes you take so many 'hits' you start to feel nauseous (well, you may feel that from the flood of hormones too), and the rest of your body feels tired and achy as well. Plus you're bleeding from your crotch, or you're about to, which is guaranteed to make you feel like the least desirable human in the world. Now, get up and go do stuff while you're getting hit by an imaginary hammer internally, and bleeding from your private parts. It'll probably even make you feel better, but it's the laaast thing in the world you feel like doing.
Fortunately, I only experience minimal cramping most of the time. My sister OTOH gets both bad cramps and migraines.
Being sore and grouchy is not psychosis, geez Louise. A danger to her family and everyone around her? Get a grip.
Yep. Plenty of women feel lousy to varying degrees because of their periods, but let's not use that as an excuse to dismiss women's abilities or emotions (e.g. "what, you on the rag?" or "women are just CRAZY!!") or for we as women to use it as an excuse for rude or unapologetic behavior.
You touched on something that always pissed me off.
WHY, WHY, WHY.....can't women have a few Vicodin to use once month on the worst days of their period?
Agreed!!! I had a stash of Norco for awhile that I would use 1 or 2 days a month and it sure made things much more bearable.
I asked my Doc for a script recently and she told me to go see an acupuncturist.
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My cramps have gotten a lot worse over the years, especially this past year. I am 39 years old, and I'm not sure why that is. The weird thing is, I have very light periods, so light that I can't wear tampons without painful dryness. I am now using the menstrual cup, and that device is fantastic! I am surprised more women don't use it. It's much more comfortable, you can wear each one longer, and you can have sex with it in. As for the cramps, I now have them longer and must use a heating pad for a couple of days. They are by no means disabling compared to other women's, but they hurt a good deal more than before and I also get a migraine headache at the beginning of each cycle. All I need is Ibuprofen, the heating pad, and a headache pill for those 2-3 days, however. 
