#i dont take any nor do i use heating pads when i have cramps :“”)

[l0vergirls]

possible tmi but i’ve got hella period cramps rn and i was wondering if we could get some bf tim drake comforting his s/o during their cramps 👉👈

omg not tmi at all i was already planning on writing this cus im in the same situation anon </3

tim's worry only increased as you failed to answer his third call in the last 5 minutes.

after checking your location (which you kindly shared with him and vice versa), he figured you wouldn't mind if he used the key under your welcome mat.

checking the date today, he made a quick stop to the convenience store near your place and bought what he knew to be your favourite chocolate and snacks. and extra cold bottles of water for good measure.

you haven't moved from your spot in your bed since this morning, moaning and groaning as the pangs of pain only seemed to worsen as time goes on.

tim found you in a fetal position, clutching your lower abdomen for dear life.

he frowned, seeing you in pain made his heart clench. he put the plastic bag down, as he approached you.

"hey, babe," tim's gentle voice rang through your ears, and in a split second you felt his hand on your hair.

"hi, tim," you sat up, though the pain made you move slower than you would, letting tim meet you halfway.

"missed you," you wasted no time in briefly wrapping your arms around his torso, taking notice of the plastic bags on the floor.

"what'd you get?"

"your favourites," tim joined you on your bed, pulling up your laptop and entering your password.

he put on a show he knew you'd often watch when you get like this, then picked up the plastic bag.

"you want a panadol?" tim took out a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate.

"no, thank you," you rested your head on his shoulder, while he simultaneously put an arm around you.

you grabbed the water and chocolate, "love you,"

"love you too."

you spent the rest of the day like that, lazing around with your boyfriend, and getting your much needed rest as he'd run around your place preparing proper meals for you.

[viralhottopics]

For These Women, A Period Triggers A Living Hell

For Hannah Lenehan, 33, every month is the same.

For one week she she feels normal. The next week she describes as a week of pain in her ovaries. The week after that she feels severely moody and agitated.

Some months I can control it some months I cant as well, she told The Huffington Post. During the moodyweek she is extremely sensitive to noise and gets angry for no reason, she said. Lenehan does not take long vacations because she uses up all the days she can be away from work as sick days.

People dont understand how it feels inside, she said. You dont want to act this way.

The last week of the cycle is the one when her period comes fatigue, irritability, severe breast pain, mind-numbing cramps, leg pain, diarrhea, she explained.

For Lenehan, thats what it means to live withpremenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD.

Doctors have long categorized the condition as a severe form of premenstrual syndrome, since the symptoms come in a predictable cycle around ovulation and the days of a womans period. Some symptoms overlap with PMS, like bloating, headaches, pain, cramping and fatigue (though for most women the symptoms are exponentiallyworse).

But the other major difference between PMS and PMDD is that for the 2 to 5 percent of women who suffer from PMDD, crippling depression, anxiety or another mood disorder prevents them from going about their daily routines.

Researchers have long suspected that women with PMDD have a different sensitivity to the sex hormones they release when they are menstruating, and that causes the extreme symptoms they suffer. And a recent study provided some of the first evidence that a genetic irregularity may explain why some womens bodies are more sensitive to those hormones than others.

A lot of [women] think that doctors dont really believe in this and theyre kind of stuck with it because constitutionally theyre not able to deal with symptoms that other women are able to deal with, Peter Schmidt, chief of the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, a PMDD researcher who led the recent study, told HuffPost.

The evidence suggests the exact opposite, Schmidt said. There is evidence that there is a biological explanation for these symptoms.

And thats a big step forward in better care for patients with PMDD, in terms of recognizing its different from PMS and finding the right treatments for patients.

Currently doctors prescribe several therapies for PMDD, ranging from hormonal therapies to antidepressants to painkillers.No one treatmentis considered a cure for the condition, however nor does any one treatment work for all women.

I just was always made to feel like I was crazy or weak because this consumed so much of my life. Hannah Lenehan, 33

Lenehan has been living with PMDD since she was 10 years old. Her doctors have prescribed drugs for anxiety and birth control,and she currently takes a prescription painkiller each month before her period is scheduled to start, which helps somewhat.

I just was always made to feel like I was crazy or weak because this consumed so much of my life, she said.

She emphasized the importance of getting support from others.Talking about it that is the best medicine of all.

HuffPost talked to five other women with PMDD. Here are their stories in their own words, including what they wish everyone knew about what its like to live with PMDD:

I needed to hide from everyone.

My symptoms began at age 11 prior to me starting my first period at age 12. My parents thought I was a normal, snippy, pain-in-the-rear teenager, but I always knew there was a darkness inside that I needed to hide from everyone.

I was formally diagnosed by a womens health psychiatrist with PMDD in my late 20s. I complained to my [doctor] that my monthly symptoms were preventing me from being social and normal and she referred me to the psychiatrist because she suspected PMDD. Her insight and referral saved my life.

I am an incredibly outgoing and active person with a love for people and animals. My sense of humor and need to protect everyone around me from my depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts kept me going for decades. From the outside, no one knew I was suffering because I put on such a great show. Inside, however, I was always exhausted and relatively reclusive.

Cathy Adolph, 41

The pain is like childbirth.

I was diagnosed with PMDD just last year, but have had symptoms since my first period.

For two weeks out of every month I have severe depression. And on top of that I have about three days of pain. The pain is akin to the labor contraction pains I had when in childbirth. (Only I dont get an adorable baby out of these ones.)

The depression makes it difficult to function, to get out of bed, to shower, to care about anything. I am the sole earner for my family, so not going to work is not an option for me. I use all the energy I can muster to get myself ready and through the workday. When I get home, Im spent. I end up curled up on the couch with a heating pad. I often end up sleeping there because Im up throughout the night due to the pain.

Its just a really vicious cycle. Then I get two weeks of feeling like a normal person before doing it all over again.

I have been really lucky to have finally found a doctor that knows what this is, and diagnosed me. Ive talked about my symptoms with over 10 different doctors. Ive had one that listened. She didnt treat me like Im just complaining.

Catherine Bergstrom, 38

Im basically out of commission.

I feel great for 21 days out of the month, but I have to use that time to get everything done and prepare for that last week where Im basically out of commission.

Those days, I pretty much sit on my hands and dont leave the house. Not a good idea to do ANYTHING dont interact with anyone, dont drive, dont post on the internet, dont try to make sense of what is happening. Just sit quietly and wait it out or its a disaster. I call it trying not to blow up my life.

Shortly after behaving oddly, the thought often goes through my head: Why did I just do that? Thats not something I do. Thats not something I would say. I dont even care about that.

Mandie Cain, 31, who has had symptoms since her first period at age 12

They told me I was a woman suck it up.

I started having problems at age 14. Serious bloating, incredible pain that ached down into my legs. As the years went on, the problems became worse and worse and the emotional turmoil left me curled in a ball under the covers. This continued for years. Yes, I still worked and just figured thats the way things are. Went to numerous doctors (men) who basically said I was a woman and should expect that like, suck it up, buttercup.

Through the years, various doctors tried different hormone treatments. Birth control pills worked best. Progesterone made me insane.

Having a hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened. Within two weeks I felt like a whole new person. Literally. Before, I had only felt good for two weeks out of four. I suffered like that for years and years, so to feel great all month was a miracle for me.

Karen Kohn, 65

Keep looking until you find the help YOU need!

My daily life [used to be] miserable during the two weeks before my period. I had unbelievably painful cramps. I was moody, crabby and bloated.

My first OB/GYN wouldnt take me seriously until I had my husband call her. The receptionist said that they could see me next Tuesday and my husband said that I would have killed someone by then.

She put me on Xanax for the two weeks before my period started, which helped, but only caused me to become dependent on the drug. That was bad, very bad.

I had PMDD for about 20 years, but it was not diagnosed until 2003. My doctors just thought I had a bad case of PMS. I wish other women would please seek treatment sooner than I did. If what the doctor prescribes doesnt work, tell him/her. Find another doctor if necessary. Keep looking until you find the help YOU need!

Karlya Ann Boone, 54

This reporting is brought to you by HuffPosts health and science platform, The Scope. Like us onFacebookandTwitterand tell us your story:scopestories@huffingtonpost.com.

Sarah DiGiulio is The Huffington Posts sleep reporter. You can contact her at sarah.digiulio@huffingtonpost.com.

Read more: http://huff.to/2m9W96k

from For These Women, A Period Triggers A Living Hell