We Really Need to Stop Underestimating Menstrual Cramps

It's 1:19 pm on Monday afternoon and I've just settled down for my work day. This is a massive privilege: I am a self-employed, work-from-home mom. I make my own schedule, so as long as I get my work done, starting my workday in the afternoon is possible, though never ideal.

But even now that I've started my workweek, it doesn't look the way it normally does (read: Sitting at my kitchen table and typing away). Instead, I'm on the couch, a cushion on my lap and a heating pad in the waistband of my leggings (the GOAT of leggings has some serious stretch and is my go-to always, but especially on days like today).

All this is happening because the cramps are cramping...and once again, I'm struck by how debilitating they can be.

Menstrual cramps are never considered a "good enough" reason to miss work, have a work-from-home day, or even cancel on plans with a friend. Somehow, it's okay to say "I can't work today, I have a cold", yet "I can't possibly get dressed, drive myself to work, sit in uncomfortable clothing all day long and perform as though I'm not crippling pain thanks to my menstrual cramps" is considered...not a good enough reason to take it easy? (It's also considered "TMI" which is both a different topic entirely and completely related to this one).

I can power through my day with a runny nose just fine, but when cramps hit hard? All I can really manage is to curl up on the couch with a heating pad and whimper in discomfort. Because this is real pain. And we need to start treating it as such.

Menstrual cramps are often treated like a joke. When we have them, we're told it's "normal", that periods are "supposed" to be uncomfortable. They're viewed as an inevitable inconvenience, not what they can actually feel like: Debilitating pain that can, quite literally, bring you to your knees. That, compared with other period symptoms (fatigue, nausea, and migraines tend to be a few of my ~faves~), makes simply proceeding with life as usual feel pretty much impossible. Yet that's what we're expected to do every 28-ish days.

Again, I'm really privileged. I get to deal with my worst menstrual cramps by having days like today, days when I can't do much more than lounge on the couch in my comfies, snuggling with my heating pad, and working from the couch. We all deserve this. But the fact of the matter is, too many women have no real choice but to just...muscle through. And to do that while not being taken seriously? It's totally unfair, and just another sign of how deeply apathetic our world is when it comes to how women feel in their bodies.