3 things that can cause painful periods - Chen X. Chen

In 1920, Hungarian physician Béla Schick ran a highly questionable experiment: he asked several women, some on their periods, to briefly hold flowers.

Then, without proper controls and relying solely on his own observations, he claimed that the blooms held by the menstruating women wilted more quickly.

Schick’s explanation for this was not only unscientific, but also played into age-old myths about periods.

He concluded that menstruating women’s bodies released toxins, excreted in sweat and blood, that can kill plants.

While it unfortunately took decades to debunk Schick’s so-called menstrual toxin hypothesis, some good did come from this work— the idea prompted investigations into the composition of menstrual fluid, eventually leading to a discovery that helped explain a very real problem: period cramps.

Anywhere from 50 to 90% of people who menstruate deal with painful abdominal or pelvic cramps during their period, a condition known as dysmenorrhea.

Individual experiences can vary, from mild discomfort, to throbbing aches, to contraction-like cramps that rival the pain of labor.