Suffer in Silence: The Story of How I Internalised Period Pain Secrecy

Periods are increasingly getting the attention they deserve. Representation of menstruation has popped up in Netflix bingeable series, important rebranding in shopping isles, and the passage of period progressive legislation. All of these developments hint at the promise of a period positive future and we are Here. For. It.

While important strides are being made in addressing the unfair position menstruators face as a result of their monthly visit from Aunt Flow in terms of material deprivations, one major period ‘problem’ is consistently overlooked—period pain.

 Much like period poverty, the pain associated with periods is a global barrier to menstruator’s education, employment, and community participation. The invisible fire burning through the uterus’ of nearly 50% of the population is still just that… invisible.

I am willing to bet my entire millennial-sized savings account almost every single menstruator has a story to share of when they were impacted by period pain but were expected to grit their teeth and suffer in silence. 

Here is my story:

I was a freshly minted 12-year-old menstruator still new to the whole bleeding experience. Period pain was something entirely new to me and I had no idea how to handle it.

Sitting in my year 7 science class, I could barely concentrate on what my teacher was saying as I felt like a hot iron was attempting to brand me from the inside out. I pushed my open textbook forward and laid my head down on the desk in front of me cradling my abdomen.

As the teacher droned on about Earth’s water cycle, it seemed everyone was oblivious to an entirely different cycle wreaking havoc inside my pre-teen body. Groaning slightly, I weakly made eye contact with the boy I had a crush on at the time. I remember thinking “perfect—just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse” as he registered my face was pale and clammy from pain.

He gave me a look of concern, and after I looked away quickly in embarrassment, I saw his hand shoot into the air. Gaining the teacher’s attention, this boy meekly looked at our teacher and said “Miss, I think Kasey isn’t feeling well”. At this, all eyes in the classroom turned to me.

The teacher, who had provided me with a sanitary pad earlier in the day, knew exactly what symptoms I was suffering from. She gave a tight-lipped smile and looking me straight in the eyes said “Kasey will be fine. She’s not sick and, like everyone else, she should be paying attention in class”.

While I don’t remember how the rest of the lesson played out, this sequence of events has remained imprinted in my mind. By subtly suggesting that period pain was not a valid reason to have difficulty concentrating, my teacher taught both me and my classmates that period pain was something that should go unaddressed.

From March 15-April 4 The Cova Project and Myna Mahila USA are teaming up for the Period Pain Cam-Pain to end the myth that debilitating period pain is the norm for all menstruators. Check out the cam-pain here.