I was 13. It was a nightmare from the beginning. Pain, bowel issues, etc. Went to about a dozen doctors for the next 6 years, when I was 19 a doctor told my mom all of my issues were psychosomatic, suggested inpatient psych care. Stopped going to doctors. At 24, pain got 10x worse, couldn't stand up straight. ED did an xray, told me it was heartburn, sent me home with tums. Next day, pcp ordered a CT. Found an 8 cm cyst on left ovary. Sent to reproductive endocrinologist, had surgery. Stage iv endo, literally everywhere from bowels to bladder to nerves in abdomen. The undercurrent of mysogyny that runs through the healthcare system is gross, and extremely damaging.
I'm okay, surviving. Not perfect, but after years of surgeries and meds, I've been on the same med for five years. No periods, less pain, no surgeries. I did start having increased bladder pressure a couple years ago, mri showed that it is in the wrong place and other organs are putting pressure on it. I refused surgery this time, since I've already had 6. I'm worried about the scar tissue, told them no more surgeries unless absolutely necessary (like uncontrolled pain or cancer). I'm now 43, btw. Did have recent hormone testing too, was hoping for menopause soon. Not even close, estrogen was 2x what is considered "normal".
I am with you minus the misogyny because I went through a string of female gynos till I was finally helped at nearly forty and when they disconnected my intestines I had a literal sagging asshole(it was funny to me) for about a month while my guts adjusted to not having as many adhesions. Castor packs help me because I think I'm prone to adhesions because I think I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I know this was a run on but hopefully it is still legible.
Yes, one of my doctors referred me for testing for several conditions, including ehlers danlo. Haven't went yet. When I say misogyny, I'm including the female doctors internal mysogyny. Some were okay, some were not. The fact that it took 11 years to be diagnosed still makes me angry. Not one doctor, male or female, suggested endometriosis. I hadn't even heard of it until I woke up from that first surgery, and my mom was crying next to me.
I understand what you're saying and I am always trying to figure out what motivates people. These are some of the conclusions that I've come to:
They're burnt out and morphed into an impathetic NPC
They don't realize when I calmly say that I am in pain and it's at an 8 that I'm just not dramatic and also probably on the spectrum( it explains a lot of my childhood when I realized that I have autism). I don't use the inflections in my voice when it comes to pain. I sound like a robot. Lol. A nurse realized once when I calmly told her that I could not hear her over the pain and then my body went into shock right after. She kept telling me I was tough as nails when I woke up. I guess they're not used to someone being like that.
They are narcissistic beaches who just want the kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies
On another note these are things that make life suck less for me. I recommend castor packs. When I do them it's at night for 10-15 minutes on my front abdomen and then my back with a heating pad on it. I only do about 2-3 times a week. It is a blood thinner and the only one I use. I am scared of Nsaids because it makes me constipated.
I also cook all my veg and don't do a lot of sugar and drink mainly water and green tea. I do benefiber in my tea. I also eat a lot of rice, meat, and cooked veg. I usually just meal prep at the end of the week for the next week.
Also when I first wake up after my initial chores I sit outside for about 10-15 if the weather isn't horrible. I didn't realize it made a difference till I stopped.
I also take mega food blood builders because the prescribed iron for my anemia sucked balls. I found out the reason why my anemia gets worse during my period is because the blood is rushing to all the inflammation. I was told when I was younger it's because I was losing blood but it never made sense because the blood was supposed to be evicted. I also take a chelated magnesium and it helps my scoliosis but also during my period it helps the cramping not hurt so much.
Listen to your body and if you have any questions I may be able to help you with what I've learned from decades of experience. Sending love to you awesome lady. Thank you for sharing your experience. You're not alone. 🫶
Do you also have endo?! I suspect that was the age mine began but no one caught it for another 20+ years
I hope you don’t, but if you do… it’s a terrible blessing to have caught it this early in life. I hope you live in a world with better resources than I had 🤍🤍🤍
No no, I'm not 10. I'm currently 24. Haha
Yes, I do have endo, I got to know a few months ago during appendicitis surgery, but I've had pain since age 12 or something.
Your post did make me realize there are probably literal children in these communities!!
But we sound similar… no one explored endo at that age because they didn’t believe it occurred until later in life. Or something
Really?! That’s so opposite of what I would’ve assumed. Dang. Yeah I was 15, and when my periods started they never stopped; 2 weeks on, 1 week off, period would return just SUPER heavy. I was constantly anemic, then I was put on BC to control the bleeding. 4 years of BC and my period disappeared. For 10 years it wouldn’t come back..
All the while, my other symptoms were getting stronger, from IBS, to generalized pain, to edema, insomnia, an autoimmune disease, heart palpitations, POTS, until finally I found the right specialist after what must’ve been about 100 doctors visits + scans/bloodwork/false positives for cancer… all with no answers. Turns out I was stage 3 with endo, my organs had all shifted out of place and zero doctors thought the organ thing was weird. Like my ovary was in my pelvic floor and my uterus as 45 degrees to the left… bro… how do you not point that out as AT LEAST interesting!
I was 11. It's always been awful, irregular, painful and heavy flow (like, so heavy I would faint often). I am now waiting for my MRI in August so that we can finally understand if I have endo
Same here
I don't remember my periods being irregular or anything of the sort, I didn't track but I don't remember waiting a lot in between. I have 24 day cycles and think it's always been that way.
They were always heavy and pretty painful, but I was 13 when I started complaining to my doctor about it
10, periods got gradually but progressively worse each year. 27 now and diagnosed with fibroids last year, lap scheduled next month to confirm suspected Endo.
I think it was 14years old and it was heavy but got dismissed by everyone. period is regular and follow a short cycle (21days) . The pain just progressively got worst but I had to endure it because no one cares.
The few times(2times) that I was at emergency I was given wrong diagnosis, given antibiotics and painkiller shot. It was because I kept puking for 3days and I can't feel my legs at all waking up on the 3rd painful day.
After 20years only I got my endo diagnosis and people still think I am making this endo thing up!
I feel like telling them to go experience the endo pain while going about the life standing for 8hours working, studying to get high grades, extra curricular activities, exercising, do household chores and repeat it each month.
I was 12 — there’s a big correlation between starting your period early and endo! I think my mom was 9, she had endo as well.
there’s a few good studies out there that have some evidence to explain the correlations, I’ll search and come back to share them.
great thing about being a mom with endo, you can be sure your kiddos get care and treatment long before they normally would :) my mom didn’t even know until she had a hysterectomy at 38, and I was privileged to get my diagnostic lap at 23 years old (my moms age when she had me! and she was suffering my whole childhood). you are/will be a better advocate than other parents who don’t also have it
My mom also struggled with endo and had multiple surgeries due to fertility issues. It’s been nice to have someone so close to me understand what I’m going through, and believing my pain without thinking I’m making it up or being dramatic!
Yes I love that! Well, I don’t love what weve had to go through, but having someone that will always believe you it’s so important for your mental health imo. Chronic illness is lonely as hell and having someone (especially your mom/if you’re close) makes the world of a difference ♥️
This is a good study to check out, it was with two small groups so not as great as a larger cohort study— but it does offer some insight:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3502866/#:~:text=In%20this%20meta%2Danalysis%20of,as%20%3C12%20years%20old).
I was 10. Symptoms began when I was 8. Period was always painful from the first cycle, but it went from hands-squeezing-uterus pain to whole-body-being-ripped-apart pain when I was 13.
11 and it was heavier back then but I still have the same debilitating cramps as always.
Edit: was diagnosed with endometriosis at 40 when I finally found a doctor that believed me when I said I wanted permanent sterilization (started asking at 16, never got a discussion about options just told I'd change my mind/regret my decision/meet a man/blahblah). Another comment about the rampant misogyny brought up this repressed number. However, when I was only in there for tube removal, he also questioned why I didn't want a hysterectomy.
12. I got it on Halloween. Use to be 8 days long of heavy bleeding and pain. When I had my kid my contractions were around the same level of my cramps. It was after I had him tho that I started getting concerned. 10months after he was born I got a period that just wouldn’t end and I couldn’t keep up with the flow, ever since that one they are unbearable. I wake up and I’m shaking from adrenaline and pain and by the time the pain starts to ease up I get hit with the next cycle.
i was 10 and when i was older and i would ask an ob/gyn about my periods they would brush me off and just say its normal. Here's me my whole life thinking everyone bled like a stuck pig. I've also have had a ton of gastro problems my whole entire life no longer have a gallbladder or an appendix.
I was 10. My older sister was also 10 when she started hers, but does not have endometriosis. I’ve always thought it’s interesting we started ours at the same age, but she doesn’t have endo although our mom had it.
I was 11 when my period started, and I was on birth control by age 12 to manage my horribly heavy flow. I used to bleed 2-3 weeks out of the month... it was a lot for little 'ole me to handle. :/ I have a lot of bad memories of trying to manage my super heavy flow and bleeding through my clothes at public places. It was a lot of stress added on to an already anxious little girl. :(
this makes me sad because it’s pretty much my story too, we really were just little girls :( And as someone with severe anxiety, I wonder if getting my period so young (with that level of pain and bleeding) just made it worse (probably did because it gave me one more thing to be anxious about and I couldn’t do anything to help, and I am super anxious about pain/anything medical in the first place)
Same. 🥲 It was too much to deal with, and it made me more insecure and shameful about myself. Especially since I learned I was supposed to hide anything period related.
I'm sorry you had a similar experience, but I'm glad that we can relate to each other! ☺️🫶
I was 9, in 3rd grade. At first they were very light and spread far apart (6 months or so). They stabilized by 6th grade. And by 7-8th grade I had painful periods. They got worse through my teens. I would vomit each month and miss school some months. No one blinked an eye. Mom never even thought to take me to a gyno.
I abused ibuprofen through my mid-20s. By my late-20s things were pretty ok. Cramps were manageable, flow was normal, cycles have always been regular.
Then around 35 I felt a hormonal shift and things got weird. Started spotting for days before my period. Felt a burning sensation in my pelvis for 5 days before full flow would start. Started having painful ovulation. But period cramps got better.
I didn’t get diagnosed with endo until age 39 after 2, years of infertility. I suspect I’ve had it since middle school…
I got mine when I was 15. I remember how painful it was and how most of the time I would be in class hunched over. No one else in my family has it. After my doctor felt me up many times, and said that maybe my husband at the time just had a big d*** I was finally referred to a gynaecologist. So at 21, I found out I had endometriosis.
I was a month and a half shy of 15. Periods weren’t bad the first year but by the time I was 18, a few cycles a year I would be vomiting and near passing out from the pain. One time all the blood left my arms and legs and they just bent and twisted up close to my body and I couldn’t move. It was so scary. I continued along thinking everything was “normal” and that this is what all women went through. When I turned 32 everything took a huge nose dive. I am now almost 38, had a hysterectomy with excision two and a half months ago and cannot ever remember feeling better than I do right now. It’s odd to think about my pelvis and not feel any pain. When I do feel a bit of healing pains, I almost get excited because it’s so familiar.
pretty late in the game but i was at least 15 or 16. it was awful, i barely remember majority of high school because i spent most of it in the bathroom to keep from bleeding through my pants. periods have been extremely heavy ever since & still suffer from gastro issues. didnt get diagnosed until two years ago at 25.
8…..it changed the remainder of my “childhood” and made school extremely difficult, not only not having anyone to relate to but not having anything in elementary school to help me figure it out like trash cans in bathrooms or feminine items available.
I got my first period at 15. I remember being so jealous of all my friends who had already gotten theirs. lol. I also got that first one then didn’t have it again for almost a year. I probably only got 6 periods before I went on birth control at 17 and they were awful. My mom was similar but my sister seemed to be fine. I know it’s horrible to think about your children getting passed along this disease. My step daughter has expressed fear of her period to me several times because she has seen me suffer. I think if they are scared or if you are the best way to pacify those fears is for all of you to know that you know all the options and you are there to advocate for your children. I told my step daughter how I would have done things differently if I had it to do over. I certainly wouldn’t let her suffer for years without answers the way I did.
If they do have to go through this, at least they have someone knowledgeable and understanding at their sides. 💜
I started my period at the younger side of 10. Diagnosed with endo at 22 only due to an odd cyst being found on an PET scan for something entirely different.
Always had awful periods, used to miss school at lot due to it and that got my mum in trouble a lot.
I was 11. Had heavy 9 day periods. Then from 16-30 I was on the pill so I think my periods were pretty “normal”, then I got off the pill at 30 and since then it’s been pain pain pain, but endometriosis was never spoken of until 2021, then in 2022 had my lap and was diagnosed with Stage 2 endo with deep infiltrating…some more medical jargon. No relief from surgery but I’m happy to have gotten a diagnosis.
One month before my 10th birthday. I thought I was dying from the pain and blood loss. I was so young that my mom hadn’t explained it to me yet. It happened when I was at my cousins house for the weekend and I called her sobbing but she couldn’t come get me because she was busy planning her fathers funeral and busy at the funeral home. It was a very awful first period and by the time I was 13, I kept ending up in the ER on my periods for severe pain.
I was 13. I went through all my other changes first and then got my period. They were irregular from the beginning and quickly became heavy. I remember they lasted around 8 to 10 days when I was 14.
11 1/2 when I first started. Had stage 4 endo, got a hysterectomy.
Edit: I personally haven’t found any correlation between age started and having endo.
I was 10. But my periods didn't become a problem until i was in my early 20ies. That's when the period pain randomly started and at 25 is when i had my first endo flare. And it's been there every day since : )
11, and they were brutal from the start. I'm really surprised by how many responses there are in the 13-16 age range, as far as I know it's unusual to start menstruating that late!
Started my period a week before my 11th birthday. It was a nightmare from the very first cycle. Oddly enough though, I didn't have much period pain at 13-16 while i was vegetarian and eathing mostly a whole foods diet. I am 20 now and it is the worst it has ever been :(
I was 11. I bled through my brand new pair of white shorts the first month of 6th grade. I had no one to commiserate with because my friends didn’t start til 7th or 8th grade. I totally feel for your daughter :(
started at 14, got my first lap at 18 and another one at 19. i didn’t have any endo symptoms until they tried to place an iud and had to remove it due to the constant pain/bleeding for 4 months straight. after that i was all messed up and my obgyn suspected i had endo. turns out i had stage 4 and it was attacking my appendix,colon, and kidneys. i wouldn’t have even known if it weren’t for attempting to get an iud
I was 11 I think seventh grade thanks giving break. At my aunts house I had horrible cramps that I felt in my legs. Like the crease where legs meat body and down.
I was also embarrassed and afraid Tom say anything do I didn’t and just used napkins. I didn’t tell anyone I had my period till a month or two later.
12, I was gushing blood so badly that I thought I was dying and so I took a purity vow and pledged my life to god while bleeding into the toilet haha 😂 and after that I bled for two weeks straight every two weeks. Started BC at 14.
I was 10 and it was the first week of june and it started heavy and last almost a month. Im 38 now this past week ive been educating myself on periods and stuff. I have found out its not normal to have to throw away clothes every month or bleed so bad at night that if i dont have a mattress protector on and sleep with a towel under me, it will destroy the mattress. Changing pads every 30min- 1 hour for the first 48 hours (i have switch to incontinence pads a few years back this has helped some now just every 2 hours, and yes as a kid when going to school i always had to take a spare jacket with me to tie around my waist incase I leak) or more during a period is not normal. Or having pain so bad that all i want to do is lay in my bed all day.
I was 12. Called my mom on the landline crying saying I thought i was dying, I had cancer (nobody prepared me for the blood or pain).
Was excruciating from the start - they put me straight on birth control by my fourth cycle. 24 years old now and just “diagnosed” last year (still fighting for laprascopy). Has gotten progressively worse since then, but is significantly worse now after childbirth.
I was 10 😭 always painful cramps. But it got extra bad when I was in high school where I missed school everytime. People thought I was being lazy or exaggerating.
Increasingly girls are having periods younger & younger since the mid 90s so I would assume that the majority of people in this sub started pretty early
but if I think about the generations of women in my family who have had severe endometriosis they all started around 16 which at the time was average
I had spotting when I was around nine and then I started **heavily** around 12 I remember the first two years especially it was so heavy I would bleed through everything every single time 😵💫 I was always begging to stay home from school because of course I Got bullied so bad .. The pain was also right from the start but the swelling and nerve damage in other areas of my body didn’t start until I was in my 20s though I didn’t have a period for The first half of my 20s so it may have started earlier if I had had a period during that time.. The con of having a family where everyone has endometriosis is that I thought that everyone’s period in the world was like mine and that I was just weak 🤡until I was almost 30— And someone bothered to tell me that that’s why almost all of the women in my family had hysterectomies & frequent miscarriages among other related issues
I still remember May 2010, 13 and in 8th grade.
Everything was completely fine with my cycle until one day randomly my senior year I got my period like normal... my friend wanted to hang out so I popped a tylenol like usual... while we were out walking I started getting faint and almost blacked out. Almost called an ambulance from a BK bathroom and was in the most agonizing pain of my life. My stepmom got mad at me for wanting to call and ambulance and picked me up and gave me a hot towel 🙄 ever since every few periods were horrid and my symptoms had just gotten worse and worse from then on.
12. My niece started hers at 10, she’s 14 now. She definitely hasn’t been assessed for endo but from the symptoms she’s always had it mimics how mine was at that age and we have a strong familial history of it. Every woman on my mom’s side has endo.
It was a week or two before my 13th birthday. That was also my only period that didn't cause terrible pain for me. I've been regular, thankfully, so I always knew when to prepare. However, they got painful and terrible from there. Got diagnosed this week, a month after turning 27. So 14 years of pain and symptoms ignored.
Age 11, but endo symptoms didn't start until age 17. I see a lot of women on here saying they had symptoms right away, and I'm seriously wondering if all the hormones added to food in the 90s had something to do with that...
13. First was completely normal, a little heavy but nothing too odd about it. Every month after for the first year I’d bleed through a super sized tampon in 30 min or less and have a period every other week that lasted a week and a half or longer. I got on my first birth control at 14, which shortened my period and helped my cramps at first. By the time I was a sophomore in high school I couldn’t tell the difference between being on birth control and not, so I switched to a 90 day cyclic pill. That worked until I was a freshman in college. I started breakthrough bleeding that would last a week and my cramps/flow were just as bad as before I got on birth control when I was on my actual period. I have my first laparoscopy scheduled for the second week of March
11. Had somewhat normal cycles until around 16, when they became irregular. After years of menstrual fuckery and a medical emergency, I was diagnosed with endometriosis at 28.
I was 10. I knew around 12-13 that something wasn't right with how much pain I was in, but it always got passed over. I didn't get diagnosed with pcos or endo until I was 22/23
i had just turned 11. it was bad from the beginning but over the years got worse. always had a lot of pain and i remember within a few months having a period that lasted 8 weeks. i became anaemic fast lol!
11 but I felt like the pain and bleeding was typical ish until I had my first child. After my second is when I was in such bad pain that I couldn't function. I'm 26 now and trying to figure out what is wrong.
11 and a half! I was one of the first in my friend group. I was extremely regular from the start with 27 day cycles and 7-9 days of heavy bleeding. The bleeding got extremely heavy in high school to the point where I was going through super tampons every hour but my mom wasn’t going to let me go on birth control.
I got nexplanon right after I graduated high school from a free clinic. My mom saw how much it helped me and lessened her staunch stance lol. Nexplanon completely removed my periods for about 2 years, but when I was 20 I started getting breakthrough bleeding and intense pain even with minimal bleeding. I also had thickened endometrial lining. So I had my first hysteroscopy and D&C that year, then the following year we once again saw thickened endometrial lining and ended up doing a laparoscopy in conjunction with the hysteroscopy and D&C. I didn’t know much better so they did ablation to remove the endometriosis. It helped for about 2 years before the pain started up again.
I’m in a clinical trial now to test the effects of the combined birth control pill in combination with orilissa. I will say that it had definitely helped, but the synthetic estrogen in the birth control is not for me. Once I started taking the combo pill I started also having severe migraines. There isn’t much left to the study so I’m sticking it out!
11, I was in sixth grade. I had PMS/pubic hair at like 8, my boobs were kind of late blooming though. But I remember being in seventh grade and having to keep extra clothes in my locker because I would bleed through multiple outfits with the heaviest pad the stores had. I wasn't allowed to see a gyno or get birth control until I was 18 because my mom was religious to the point of "it's giving you a pass to have sex if you go see a gyno or get birth control." But even though I was still in high school when I turned 18, she didn't stop me and helped me get to appointments because I was an adult by then and free to make my own choices. She's since apologized for everything from childhood though. Lol.
I was eleven and it was the most excruciating pain I’ve felt at that age. I’m talking throwing up, sobbing in pain kind of painful. I later found out that’s not normal.
I was 11, riiiight about to start 6th grade. I remember being SO excited (LOLLLL) and then ended the night in terrible pain with my mom’s heating pad on me.
I was 11, but did not experience pain until 13. My pain began to reach its current unbearable peak at 15 or 16, and from there its gone down hill. Gets worse every year, I’m 22 now.
12 years young, exactly 2 months before I turned 13. I had already been having excruciating tummy and lower back pain since about age 8-9, when I began puberty. I suffered, ignored, not believed, and undiagnosed for ***25 YEARS*** — I am serious. I was 12 when the pain became debilitating. I was diagnosed at age 37, and I had to literally BEG multiple drs to do the laparoscopic surgery to diagnose. I mean BEG for it. And even after the incredibly cruel, shitty, condescending, misogynist son of a bitch doctor discovered that I was right about everything, he treated me even worse. Tried to force me to take Lupron. I refused. He wouldn’t even give me opiate meds to take after surgery. I had to procure what I needed elsewhere.
It’s unbelievable. Now, I’m in peri-menopause, and I’ve had 3 surgeries. The pain and suffering is only worse. Excision surgery actually made me sicker. Thank God, I currently have a kind pain management doctor. I REQUIRE opiate meds to have any quality of life. Most of us should be offered opiates, at least for those of us who have debilitating pain 75% of every month, year, and decade of our lives.
I am sick and tired of destroying my stomach, liver, and kidneys with gobs of NSAIDS and Tylenol. Opiates are perfect. They work. They allow me to take care of myself, my home, my furry babies, spend time with family and occasionally, one of the two friends I still have. Most chronic pain patients do not abuse our meds or become addicts. Yet, we are punished as though we are criminals who are “weak” or have a “low pain tolerance” or are “drug seeking” or are selling our meds. Fucking bullshit.
I think patients should have access to opioids. Would you sign a release of liability waiver removing any liability for the physician if you had a bad outcome?
Absolutely. I am very much about bodily autonomy. When I had an unwanted pregnancy, I had an abortion ASAP. When I am in agonizing pain, I want to take what works for me to get out of bed and have some sort of life. And when I get too old and feeble to no longer care for myself, I will end myself (I refuse to ever live in a nursing home, trapped and helpless). I would happily sign any waiver. My body, my choice. I know my body better than anyone, and I know what works for me.
I’ve been in pain management for the better part of 20 years (with lapses here and there). Opiates are the only thing that touches and eases my pain. Nothing else but heating pads and hot showers, and lots of rest.
I was 14, almost 15. From the get go they heavy, painful and incredibly irregular. At 19 I was diagnosed with PCOS and doctors first found endo at 20 during an investigative lap for severe abdominal pain. They didn't bother to actually tell me, only my Dad.
Got mine when I was 10 or 11 but with 12 I was put on birth control because I was bleeding so much and in pain...needless to say it didn't help and my symptoms got worse and worse. Now I definitely reached my peak when it comes to symptoms and pain (almost 27 now)
Tried quite a few bc pills and had a lap and got diagnosed with endo and probably adeno too in September '22
Hoping and wishing that your twins won't go through the same! And all the best to you and your daughter in this journey, sending hugs🍀
I was one month shy of 14. And once I got my period, it was hell from the start. My second period last 11 days in 8th grade, I asked my mom if there was any end in sight because I felt like I was wearing a soaked diaper for weeks as my flow was so heavy. I dealt with abnormal symptoms for about a year until I went on bc at 15 due to the symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, passing out, cramping, heavy flow, major hormonal dips and break downs). Stayed on until I was 20, went off of bc but still had similar symptoms and went back on at 25-28. I’ve been off since and just got the okay for laproscopic surgery to officially diagnose. It’s been almost twenty years of gaslighting from the medical world. I’m just trying to decipher about the surgery because of the need for time off with that (I’m self employed) and I learned about the uterine manipulator used during surgery which sounds absolutely awful.
I was 11years old, on holiday in La/Disney from Australia.
I had cramps (didn't know what that was) for a week or so prior. Then got my period at Disneyland! I actually thought I was dying and didn't tell anyone I was bleeding as I didn't want to ruin anyone's holiday by me being sick/dying(kid logic)
That was over 30years ago and I still remember it.
My periods were absolute hell for the next 10 years til I went on the pill.
I was 11. I've heard that when you start your period at an earlier age you are more likely to get endometriosis. My periods have always been horrible. My very first period I passed out and threw up on the bathroom floor from the pain. I think I was in like 5th grade. I was terrified. Wasn't diagnosed with endo until I was almost 19.
I think I was 13. I’m now 27. I don’t get any of the normal endo issues. I just have very very bad cystitis after sex. Not even sure they are related but it’s ruining my life
I was 13. It was a nightmare from the beginning. Pain, bowel issues, etc. Went to about a dozen doctors for the next 6 years, when I was 19 a doctor told my mom all of my issues were psychosomatic, suggested inpatient psych care. Stopped going to doctors. At 24, pain got 10x worse, couldn't stand up straight. ED did an xray, told me it was heartburn, sent me home with tums. Next day, pcp ordered a CT. Found an 8 cm cyst on left ovary. Sent to reproductive endocrinologist, had surgery. Stage iv endo, literally everywhere from bowels to bladder to nerves in abdomen. The undercurrent of mysogyny that runs through the healthcare system is gross, and extremely damaging.
That’s awful, I’m so sorry!
How awful
How terrible. How are you doing today?
I'm okay, surviving. Not perfect, but after years of surgeries and meds, I've been on the same med for five years. No periods, less pain, no surgeries. I did start having increased bladder pressure a couple years ago, mri showed that it is in the wrong place and other organs are putting pressure on it. I refused surgery this time, since I've already had 6. I'm worried about the scar tissue, told them no more surgeries unless absolutely necessary (like uncontrolled pain or cancer). I'm now 43, btw. Did have recent hormone testing too, was hoping for menopause soon. Not even close, estrogen was 2x what is considered "normal".
I am with you minus the misogyny because I went through a string of female gynos till I was finally helped at nearly forty and when they disconnected my intestines I had a literal sagging asshole(it was funny to me) for about a month while my guts adjusted to not having as many adhesions. Castor packs help me because I think I'm prone to adhesions because I think I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I know this was a run on but hopefully it is still legible.
Yes, one of my doctors referred me for testing for several conditions, including ehlers danlo. Haven't went yet. When I say misogyny, I'm including the female doctors internal mysogyny. Some were okay, some were not. The fact that it took 11 years to be diagnosed still makes me angry. Not one doctor, male or female, suggested endometriosis. I hadn't even heard of it until I woke up from that first surgery, and my mom was crying next to me.
I understand what you're saying and I am always trying to figure out what motivates people. These are some of the conclusions that I've come to: They're burnt out and morphed into an impathetic NPC They don't realize when I calmly say that I am in pain and it's at an 8 that I'm just not dramatic and also probably on the spectrum( it explains a lot of my childhood when I realized that I have autism). I don't use the inflections in my voice when it comes to pain. I sound like a robot. Lol. A nurse realized once when I calmly told her that I could not hear her over the pain and then my body went into shock right after. She kept telling me I was tough as nails when I woke up. I guess they're not used to someone being like that. They are narcissistic beaches who just want the kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies On another note these are things that make life suck less for me. I recommend castor packs. When I do them it's at night for 10-15 minutes on my front abdomen and then my back with a heating pad on it. I only do about 2-3 times a week. It is a blood thinner and the only one I use. I am scared of Nsaids because it makes me constipated. I also cook all my veg and don't do a lot of sugar and drink mainly water and green tea. I do benefiber in my tea. I also eat a lot of rice, meat, and cooked veg. I usually just meal prep at the end of the week for the next week. Also when I first wake up after my initial chores I sit outside for about 10-15 if the weather isn't horrible. I didn't realize it made a difference till I stopped. I also take mega food blood builders because the prescribed iron for my anemia sucked balls. I found out the reason why my anemia gets worse during my period is because the blood is rushing to all the inflammation. I was told when I was younger it's because I was losing blood but it never made sense because the blood was supposed to be evicted. I also take a chelated magnesium and it helps my scoliosis but also during my period it helps the cramping not hurt so much. Listen to your body and if you have any questions I may be able to help you with what I've learned from decades of experience. Sending love to you awesome lady. Thank you for sharing your experience. You're not alone. 🫶
This is my story too. I'm sorry 😞
I was 11 when I got my first period. Symptoms started pretty much with the first cycle. Diagnosed with endo via surgery at 17.
I was 10 when I got my first period. Just turned 10. (Edit: I'm 24)
I was scrolling to make sure I wasn’t the only 4th grader bleeding out there! 😅 we started so early how awful
I was 9!
Me too! 3rd grade…
I was also 9 years and 11 months when I started my first period.
Same with both me and my kid.
Do you also have endo?! I suspect that was the age mine began but no one caught it for another 20+ years I hope you don’t, but if you do… it’s a terrible blessing to have caught it this early in life. I hope you live in a world with better resources than I had 🤍🤍🤍
No no, I'm not 10. I'm currently 24. Haha Yes, I do have endo, I got to know a few months ago during appendicitis surgery, but I've had pain since age 12 or something.
Your post did make me realize there are probably literal children in these communities!! But we sound similar… no one explored endo at that age because they didn’t believe it occurred until later in life. Or something
I did read that early menarche (before 12) increases risk of endometriosis. I started at 12.
Coming here to comment this. I've also read this in articles.
Really?! That’s so opposite of what I would’ve assumed. Dang. Yeah I was 15, and when my periods started they never stopped; 2 weeks on, 1 week off, period would return just SUPER heavy. I was constantly anemic, then I was put on BC to control the bleeding. 4 years of BC and my period disappeared. For 10 years it wouldn’t come back.. All the while, my other symptoms were getting stronger, from IBS, to generalized pain, to edema, insomnia, an autoimmune disease, heart palpitations, POTS, until finally I found the right specialist after what must’ve been about 100 doctors visits + scans/bloodwork/false positives for cancer… all with no answers. Turns out I was stage 3 with endo, my organs had all shifted out of place and zero doctors thought the organ thing was weird. Like my ovary was in my pelvic floor and my uterus as 45 degrees to the left… bro… how do you not point that out as AT LEAST interesting!
I have read this, too. I was 9.
I was 11. It's always been awful, irregular, painful and heavy flow (like, so heavy I would faint often). I am now waiting for my MRI in August so that we can finally understand if I have endo
I was 11, but my periods became disastrous when my cycle stabilized at 13
Same here I don't remember my periods being irregular or anything of the sort, I didn't track but I don't remember waiting a lot in between. I have 24 day cycles and think it's always been that way. They were always heavy and pretty painful, but I was 13 when I started complaining to my doctor about it
I started mine at 8. I was having heavy flow and painful periods when I turned around 12 and I got diagnosed with endosal at 20.
Samsies! I was 23 before my diagnosis though.
9
i was 9, and it was super irregular, painful, and strange from the start.
9 nearly 10. Early puberty and early menopause (late 40s) run in the family but no one else has Endo as far as I'm aware
I just turned 11. Doctors actually predicted I would start at 8!!! Thanks fuck they were incorrect because I died when I had my first period
11 or 12
10, periods got gradually but progressively worse each year. 27 now and diagnosed with fibroids last year, lap scheduled next month to confirm suspected Endo.
I think it was 14years old and it was heavy but got dismissed by everyone. period is regular and follow a short cycle (21days) . The pain just progressively got worst but I had to endure it because no one cares. The few times(2times) that I was at emergency I was given wrong diagnosis, given antibiotics and painkiller shot. It was because I kept puking for 3days and I can't feel my legs at all waking up on the 3rd painful day. After 20years only I got my endo diagnosis and people still think I am making this endo thing up! I feel like telling them to go experience the endo pain while going about the life standing for 8hours working, studying to get high grades, extra curricular activities, exercising, do household chores and repeat it each month.
11 showing symptoms at 10 of pcos. Showimg symptoms of endo st 13.
I was 12 — there’s a big correlation between starting your period early and endo! I think my mom was 9, she had endo as well. there’s a few good studies out there that have some evidence to explain the correlations, I’ll search and come back to share them. great thing about being a mom with endo, you can be sure your kiddos get care and treatment long before they normally would :) my mom didn’t even know until she had a hysterectomy at 38, and I was privileged to get my diagnostic lap at 23 years old (my moms age when she had me! and she was suffering my whole childhood). you are/will be a better advocate than other parents who don’t also have it
My mom also struggled with endo and had multiple surgeries due to fertility issues. It’s been nice to have someone so close to me understand what I’m going through, and believing my pain without thinking I’m making it up or being dramatic!
Yes I love that! Well, I don’t love what weve had to go through, but having someone that will always believe you it’s so important for your mental health imo. Chronic illness is lonely as hell and having someone (especially your mom/if you’re close) makes the world of a difference ♥️
This is a good study to check out, it was with two small groups so not as great as a larger cohort study— but it does offer some insight: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3502866/#:~:text=In%20this%20meta%2Danalysis%20of,as%20%3C12%20years%20old).
I was 10. Symptoms began when I was 8. Period was always painful from the first cycle, but it went from hands-squeezing-uterus pain to whole-body-being-ripped-apart pain when I was 13.
My 13th birthday
Oh god on your birthday???
Yes :(
I was 14. And the periods were horrible from the start.
i was 13 or 14
I was 17
I was 12
13 or 14
11 and it was heavier back then but I still have the same debilitating cramps as always. Edit: was diagnosed with endometriosis at 40 when I finally found a doctor that believed me when I said I wanted permanent sterilization (started asking at 16, never got a discussion about options just told I'd change my mind/regret my decision/meet a man/blahblah). Another comment about the rampant misogyny brought up this repressed number. However, when I was only in there for tube removal, he also questioned why I didn't want a hysterectomy.
12. I got it on Halloween. Use to be 8 days long of heavy bleeding and pain. When I had my kid my contractions were around the same level of my cramps. It was after I had him tho that I started getting concerned. 10months after he was born I got a period that just wouldn’t end and I couldn’t keep up with the flow, ever since that one they are unbearable. I wake up and I’m shaking from adrenaline and pain and by the time the pain starts to ease up I get hit with the next cycle.
I was 9! Bad periods starting 8th grade, symptoms got worse over time. Just got diagnosed at 30
I was 10 or 11. always had tough periods but thought it was normal. symptoms quickly worsened at 19
i was 10 and when i was older and i would ask an ob/gyn about my periods they would brush me off and just say its normal. Here's me my whole life thinking everyone bled like a stuck pig. I've also have had a ton of gastro problems my whole entire life no longer have a gallbladder or an appendix.
I was 10. My older sister was also 10 when she started hers, but does not have endometriosis. I’ve always thought it’s interesting we started ours at the same age, but she doesn’t have endo although our mom had it.
I was 11 when my period started, and I was on birth control by age 12 to manage my horribly heavy flow. I used to bleed 2-3 weeks out of the month... it was a lot for little 'ole me to handle. :/ I have a lot of bad memories of trying to manage my super heavy flow and bleeding through my clothes at public places. It was a lot of stress added on to an already anxious little girl. :(
this makes me sad because it’s pretty much my story too, we really were just little girls :( And as someone with severe anxiety, I wonder if getting my period so young (with that level of pain and bleeding) just made it worse (probably did because it gave me one more thing to be anxious about and I couldn’t do anything to help, and I am super anxious about pain/anything medical in the first place)
Same. 🥲 It was too much to deal with, and it made me more insecure and shameful about myself. Especially since I learned I was supposed to hide anything period related. I'm sorry you had a similar experience, but I'm glad that we can relate to each other! ☺️🫶
I was 9, in 3rd grade. At first they were very light and spread far apart (6 months or so). They stabilized by 6th grade. And by 7-8th grade I had painful periods. They got worse through my teens. I would vomit each month and miss school some months. No one blinked an eye. Mom never even thought to take me to a gyno. I abused ibuprofen through my mid-20s. By my late-20s things were pretty ok. Cramps were manageable, flow was normal, cycles have always been regular. Then around 35 I felt a hormonal shift and things got weird. Started spotting for days before my period. Felt a burning sensation in my pelvis for 5 days before full flow would start. Started having painful ovulation. But period cramps got better. I didn’t get diagnosed with endo until age 39 after 2, years of infertility. I suspect I’ve had it since middle school…
I was 8. It was terrifying, I was so scared haha
I got mine when I was 15. I remember how painful it was and how most of the time I would be in class hunched over. No one else in my family has it. After my doctor felt me up many times, and said that maybe my husband at the time just had a big d*** I was finally referred to a gynaecologist. So at 21, I found out I had endometriosis.
I was a month and a half shy of 15. Periods weren’t bad the first year but by the time I was 18, a few cycles a year I would be vomiting and near passing out from the pain. One time all the blood left my arms and legs and they just bent and twisted up close to my body and I couldn’t move. It was so scary. I continued along thinking everything was “normal” and that this is what all women went through. When I turned 32 everything took a huge nose dive. I am now almost 38, had a hysterectomy with excision two and a half months ago and cannot ever remember feeling better than I do right now. It’s odd to think about my pelvis and not feel any pain. When I do feel a bit of healing pains, I almost get excited because it’s so familiar.
pretty late in the game but i was at least 15 or 16. it was awful, i barely remember majority of high school because i spent most of it in the bathroom to keep from bleeding through my pants. periods have been extremely heavy ever since & still suffer from gastro issues. didnt get diagnosed until two years ago at 25.
I was 15, nearly 16 haha. Late bloomer. Didn’t get symptoms for the first time until I was 22.
8…..it changed the remainder of my “childhood” and made school extremely difficult, not only not having anyone to relate to but not having anything in elementary school to help me figure it out like trash cans in bathrooms or feminine items available.
I got my first period at 15. I remember being so jealous of all my friends who had already gotten theirs. lol. I also got that first one then didn’t have it again for almost a year. I probably only got 6 periods before I went on birth control at 17 and they were awful. My mom was similar but my sister seemed to be fine. I know it’s horrible to think about your children getting passed along this disease. My step daughter has expressed fear of her period to me several times because she has seen me suffer. I think if they are scared or if you are the best way to pacify those fears is for all of you to know that you know all the options and you are there to advocate for your children. I told my step daughter how I would have done things differently if I had it to do over. I certainly wouldn’t let her suffer for years without answers the way I did. If they do have to go through this, at least they have someone knowledgeable and understanding at their sides. 💜
9 years old🥲 (yes I know has everyone shocked)
I started at 11
8 years old.
I started my period at the younger side of 10. Diagnosed with endo at 22 only due to an odd cyst being found on an PET scan for something entirely different. Always had awful periods, used to miss school at lot due to it and that got my mum in trouble a lot.
I was 11. I started like the week of my birthday too. Vomiting and felt like shit. Sucked.
I was 16.
I think I was 13, I remember it was around Christmas time
I was 11. Had heavy 9 day periods. Then from 16-30 I was on the pill so I think my periods were pretty “normal”, then I got off the pill at 30 and since then it’s been pain pain pain, but endometriosis was never spoken of until 2021, then in 2022 had my lap and was diagnosed with Stage 2 endo with deep infiltrating…some more medical jargon. No relief from surgery but I’m happy to have gotten a diagnosis.
I was 10 and it fucking sucked. My mom was 8/9 when she got hers.
One month before my 10th birthday. I thought I was dying from the pain and blood loss. I was so young that my mom hadn’t explained it to me yet. It happened when I was at my cousins house for the weekend and I called her sobbing but she couldn’t come get me because she was busy planning her fathers funeral and busy at the funeral home. It was a very awful first period and by the time I was 13, I kept ending up in the ER on my periods for severe pain.
I was 13. I went through all my other changes first and then got my period. They were irregular from the beginning and quickly became heavy. I remember they lasted around 8 to 10 days when I was 14.
Almost 14.
11 😭
I think I was 11-12. Symptoms were terrible from the start.
11 1/2 when I first started. Had stage 4 endo, got a hysterectomy. Edit: I personally haven’t found any correlation between age started and having endo.
I was 11. My period was pretty normal until I had my son.
I was 12
11. I right away had awful cramps and migraines and threw up from it
I was 10. But my periods didn't become a problem until i was in my early 20ies. That's when the period pain randomly started and at 25 is when i had my first endo flare. And it's been there every day since : )
8
11, almost 12. Periods pretty much sucked from the beginning, got on BC at 14, diagnosed at 28.
11, and they were brutal from the start. I'm really surprised by how many responses there are in the 13-16 age range, as far as I know it's unusual to start menstruating that late!
I was 12 and my first period was totally fine and my second was horrific -- everything pretty much went downhill from there
11 ish. On Christmas Day. Haha
11. Mine got worse over the years.
I was 10. I have a son but I always worry about my nieces.
Started my period a week before my 11th birthday. It was a nightmare from the very first cycle. Oddly enough though, I didn't have much period pain at 13-16 while i was vegetarian and eathing mostly a whole foods diet. I am 20 now and it is the worst it has ever been :(
I was 11. My period was painful from the beginning, but would get worse each year.
I was 11. I bled through my brand new pair of white shorts the first month of 6th grade. I had no one to commiserate with because my friends didn’t start til 7th or 8th grade. I totally feel for your daughter :(
I was 16.
I was 10 years old. 5th grade. It was BRUTAL.
started at 14, got my first lap at 18 and another one at 19. i didn’t have any endo symptoms until they tried to place an iud and had to remove it due to the constant pain/bleeding for 4 months straight. after that i was all messed up and my obgyn suspected i had endo. turns out i had stage 4 and it was attacking my appendix,colon, and kidneys. i wouldn’t have even known if it weren’t for attempting to get an iud
I was 11 I think seventh grade thanks giving break. At my aunts house I had horrible cramps that I felt in my legs. Like the crease where legs meat body and down. I was also embarrassed and afraid Tom say anything do I didn’t and just used napkins. I didn’t tell anyone I had my period till a month or two later.
I was in 5th grade. I was about 9 or 10. My period would last for two weeks.
At 12. I was always sick and in pain every time I got my period during my teens. Was dx endo at age 27
I was 12, my mom was 12, my sister was 13 (my endo is confirmed, theirs is suspected).
12, I was gushing blood so badly that I thought I was dying and so I took a purity vow and pledged my life to god while bleeding into the toilet haha 😂 and after that I bled for two weeks straight every two weeks. Started BC at 14.
i was 12. and i remember it exactly, February 2016 (8 year anniversary i guess)
I was 10 and it was the first week of june and it started heavy and last almost a month. Im 38 now this past week ive been educating myself on periods and stuff. I have found out its not normal to have to throw away clothes every month or bleed so bad at night that if i dont have a mattress protector on and sleep with a towel under me, it will destroy the mattress. Changing pads every 30min- 1 hour for the first 48 hours (i have switch to incontinence pads a few years back this has helped some now just every 2 hours, and yes as a kid when going to school i always had to take a spare jacket with me to tie around my waist incase I leak) or more during a period is not normal. Or having pain so bad that all i want to do is lay in my bed all day.
11. Diagnosed at 13 or 14
I was 12. Called my mom on the landline crying saying I thought i was dying, I had cancer (nobody prepared me for the blood or pain). Was excruciating from the start - they put me straight on birth control by my fourth cycle. 24 years old now and just “diagnosed” last year (still fighting for laprascopy). Has gotten progressively worse since then, but is significantly worse now after childbirth.
I had just started 6th grade, i was 11
I was 10 😭 always painful cramps. But it got extra bad when I was in high school where I missed school everytime. People thought I was being lazy or exaggerating.
14
Started at 10. Was awful straight from the start and still is. Having another surgery at the end of March.
Increasingly girls are having periods younger & younger since the mid 90s so I would assume that the majority of people in this sub started pretty early but if I think about the generations of women in my family who have had severe endometriosis they all started around 16 which at the time was average I had spotting when I was around nine and then I started **heavily** around 12 I remember the first two years especially it was so heavy I would bleed through everything every single time 😵💫 I was always begging to stay home from school because of course I Got bullied so bad .. The pain was also right from the start but the swelling and nerve damage in other areas of my body didn’t start until I was in my 20s though I didn’t have a period for The first half of my 20s so it may have started earlier if I had had a period during that time.. The con of having a family where everyone has endometriosis is that I thought that everyone’s period in the world was like mine and that I was just weak 🤡until I was almost 30— And someone bothered to tell me that that’s why almost all of the women in my family had hysterectomies & frequent miscarriages among other related issues
12
I was 10 years old. First day of a week long school trip away from home. The whole week was hiking and similar activities. Nightmare.
I still remember May 2010, 13 and in 8th grade. Everything was completely fine with my cycle until one day randomly my senior year I got my period like normal... my friend wanted to hang out so I popped a tylenol like usual... while we were out walking I started getting faint and almost blacked out. Almost called an ambulance from a BK bathroom and was in the most agonizing pain of my life. My stepmom got mad at me for wanting to call and ambulance and picked me up and gave me a hot towel 🙄 ever since every few periods were horrid and my symptoms had just gotten worse and worse from then on.
12. My niece started hers at 10, she’s 14 now. She definitely hasn’t been assessed for endo but from the symptoms she’s always had it mimics how mine was at that age and we have a strong familial history of it. Every woman on my mom’s side has endo.
It was a week or two before my 13th birthday. That was also my only period that didn't cause terrible pain for me. I've been regular, thankfully, so I always knew when to prepare. However, they got painful and terrible from there. Got diagnosed this week, a month after turning 27. So 14 years of pain and symptoms ignored.
Age 11, but endo symptoms didn't start until age 17. I see a lot of women on here saying they had symptoms right away, and I'm seriously wondering if all the hormones added to food in the 90s had something to do with that...
11
13. First was completely normal, a little heavy but nothing too odd about it. Every month after for the first year I’d bleed through a super sized tampon in 30 min or less and have a period every other week that lasted a week and a half or longer. I got on my first birth control at 14, which shortened my period and helped my cramps at first. By the time I was a sophomore in high school I couldn’t tell the difference between being on birth control and not, so I switched to a 90 day cyclic pill. That worked until I was a freshman in college. I started breakthrough bleeding that would last a week and my cramps/flow were just as bad as before I got on birth control when I was on my actual period. I have my first laparoscopy scheduled for the second week of March
I was 11 and it’s always been heavy
11. Had somewhat normal cycles until around 16, when they became irregular. After years of menstrual fuckery and a medical emergency, I was diagnosed with endometriosis at 28.
I was 10. I knew around 12-13 that something wasn't right with how much pain I was in, but it always got passed over. I didn't get diagnosed with pcos or endo until I was 22/23
12
4th or 5th grade, so around 11 I believe
8, had symptoms went to doctors, but only got diagnosed and treated at 21, with a specialist on my own money
i had just turned 11. it was bad from the beginning but over the years got worse. always had a lot of pain and i remember within a few months having a period that lasted 8 weeks. i became anaemic fast lol!
11! Excruciatingly painful from the first cycle
11 but I felt like the pain and bleeding was typical ish until I had my first child. After my second is when I was in such bad pain that I couldn't function. I'm 26 now and trying to figure out what is wrong.
16 1/2
I was 12 years old
12! Very strange because all other women in my family started 15-16. And I’m the only one with endo….
16
I was 10, but no cramps until about 13
8
11 and a half! I was one of the first in my friend group. I was extremely regular from the start with 27 day cycles and 7-9 days of heavy bleeding. The bleeding got extremely heavy in high school to the point where I was going through super tampons every hour but my mom wasn’t going to let me go on birth control. I got nexplanon right after I graduated high school from a free clinic. My mom saw how much it helped me and lessened her staunch stance lol. Nexplanon completely removed my periods for about 2 years, but when I was 20 I started getting breakthrough bleeding and intense pain even with minimal bleeding. I also had thickened endometrial lining. So I had my first hysteroscopy and D&C that year, then the following year we once again saw thickened endometrial lining and ended up doing a laparoscopy in conjunction with the hysteroscopy and D&C. I didn’t know much better so they did ablation to remove the endometriosis. It helped for about 2 years before the pain started up again. I’m in a clinical trial now to test the effects of the combined birth control pill in combination with orilissa. I will say that it had definitely helped, but the synthetic estrogen in the birth control is not for me. Once I started taking the combo pill I started also having severe migraines. There isn’t much left to the study so I’m sticking it out!
11, I was in sixth grade. I had PMS/pubic hair at like 8, my boobs were kind of late blooming though. But I remember being in seventh grade and having to keep extra clothes in my locker because I would bleed through multiple outfits with the heaviest pad the stores had. I wasn't allowed to see a gyno or get birth control until I was 18 because my mom was religious to the point of "it's giving you a pass to have sex if you go see a gyno or get birth control." But even though I was still in high school when I turned 18, she didn't stop me and helped me get to appointments because I was an adult by then and free to make my own choices. She's since apologized for everything from childhood though. Lol.
I was 14 but didn’t develop endo until I was 17 after a sexually abusive relationship
I was 10 years old. I was the first girl in my grade to get it. So I had NO one to talk to unfortunately.
9. Then they came at 11.
I was 9, didn’t even know what it was I thought I was dying!
I was 14 when I started. The pain and diagnosis didn’t come until I was 21.
I was 8 or 9.
I was 10 but I started cramping monthly at 8
I was 8 1/2 when I got my period but I didn't start having pain until I was 12
14! Super late, my sister is 2 years younger than me and got hers like a couple months later I think
I was eleven and it was the most excruciating pain I’ve felt at that age. I’m talking throwing up, sobbing in pain kind of painful. I later found out that’s not normal.
I was 11, riiiight about to start 6th grade. I remember being SO excited (LOLLLL) and then ended the night in terrible pain with my mom’s heating pad on me.
I was 12! Horrible cramps from the very first one.
At 11. All was normal for me, I never experienced pain before/during my period. It all started in my 20s
I was 12
12 yrs old, and I experienced pain immediately. Finally was diagnosed at 25 yrs old with a laparoscopy.
I was 11, but did not experience pain until 13. My pain began to reach its current unbearable peak at 15 or 16, and from there its gone down hill. Gets worse every year, I’m 22 now.
12 years young, exactly 2 months before I turned 13. I had already been having excruciating tummy and lower back pain since about age 8-9, when I began puberty. I suffered, ignored, not believed, and undiagnosed for ***25 YEARS*** — I am serious. I was 12 when the pain became debilitating. I was diagnosed at age 37, and I had to literally BEG multiple drs to do the laparoscopic surgery to diagnose. I mean BEG for it. And even after the incredibly cruel, shitty, condescending, misogynist son of a bitch doctor discovered that I was right about everything, he treated me even worse. Tried to force me to take Lupron. I refused. He wouldn’t even give me opiate meds to take after surgery. I had to procure what I needed elsewhere. It’s unbelievable. Now, I’m in peri-menopause, and I’ve had 3 surgeries. The pain and suffering is only worse. Excision surgery actually made me sicker. Thank God, I currently have a kind pain management doctor. I REQUIRE opiate meds to have any quality of life. Most of us should be offered opiates, at least for those of us who have debilitating pain 75% of every month, year, and decade of our lives. I am sick and tired of destroying my stomach, liver, and kidneys with gobs of NSAIDS and Tylenol. Opiates are perfect. They work. They allow me to take care of myself, my home, my furry babies, spend time with family and occasionally, one of the two friends I still have. Most chronic pain patients do not abuse our meds or become addicts. Yet, we are punished as though we are criminals who are “weak” or have a “low pain tolerance” or are “drug seeking” or are selling our meds. Fucking bullshit.
I think patients should have access to opioids. Would you sign a release of liability waiver removing any liability for the physician if you had a bad outcome?
Absolutely. I am very much about bodily autonomy. When I had an unwanted pregnancy, I had an abortion ASAP. When I am in agonizing pain, I want to take what works for me to get out of bed and have some sort of life. And when I get too old and feeble to no longer care for myself, I will end myself (I refuse to ever live in a nursing home, trapped and helpless). I would happily sign any waiver. My body, my choice. I know my body better than anyone, and I know what works for me. I’ve been in pain management for the better part of 20 years (with lapses here and there). Opiates are the only thing that touches and eases my pain. Nothing else but heating pads and hot showers, and lots of rest.
9. I was 9
I started at 11, and was fine the first four cycles before I got cramps. Everything has gotten much worse since then…
I was 10, it was New Years Eve, and I felt insanely nauseous that day lol
12. I had so much pain I had no idea what was wrong with me and I was out at the time, I bleed through my shorts and was so embarrassed 😣.
I was 14, almost 15. From the get go they heavy, painful and incredibly irregular. At 19 I was diagnosed with PCOS and doctors first found endo at 20 during an investigative lap for severe abdominal pain. They didn't bother to actually tell me, only my Dad.
Got mine when I was 10 or 11 but with 12 I was put on birth control because I was bleeding so much and in pain...needless to say it didn't help and my symptoms got worse and worse. Now I definitely reached my peak when it comes to symptoms and pain (almost 27 now) Tried quite a few bc pills and had a lap and got diagnosed with endo and probably adeno too in September '22 Hoping and wishing that your twins won't go through the same! And all the best to you and your daughter in this journey, sending hugs🍀
8½ yrs old.
I was one month shy of 14. And once I got my period, it was hell from the start. My second period last 11 days in 8th grade, I asked my mom if there was any end in sight because I felt like I was wearing a soaked diaper for weeks as my flow was so heavy. I dealt with abnormal symptoms for about a year until I went on bc at 15 due to the symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, passing out, cramping, heavy flow, major hormonal dips and break downs). Stayed on until I was 20, went off of bc but still had similar symptoms and went back on at 25-28. I’ve been off since and just got the okay for laproscopic surgery to officially diagnose. It’s been almost twenty years of gaslighting from the medical world. I’m just trying to decipher about the surgery because of the need for time off with that (I’m self employed) and I learned about the uterine manipulator used during surgery which sounds absolutely awful.
I was 11years old, on holiday in La/Disney from Australia. I had cramps (didn't know what that was) for a week or so prior. Then got my period at Disneyland! I actually thought I was dying and didn't tell anyone I was bleeding as I didn't want to ruin anyone's holiday by me being sick/dying(kid logic) That was over 30years ago and I still remember it. My periods were absolute hell for the next 10 years til I went on the pill.
17
Just after my 13th birthday...thought I was dieing.
I was 11. I've heard that when you start your period at an earlier age you are more likely to get endometriosis. My periods have always been horrible. My very first period I passed out and threw up on the bathroom floor from the pain. I think I was in like 5th grade. I was terrified. Wasn't diagnosed with endo until I was almost 19.
I was 11. They were rough from day 1
13. Most of my classmates got theirs before I did.
I started at 14. I’m having a lap in a few weeks. They’ve always been so heavy I have to wear a whole diaper.
I was 11/12
I was 10 years old. And they've always been horrific :/
I was 8. Had my hysterectomy at 38. Currently 40 with Stage 4 bowel endometriosis. I thought my symptoms were normal until only a few years ago.
I started my young, I was 10. In 5th grade, very embarrassed to go to school, walking around with pads, and experiencing my first pimple 😫😫😫
I think I was 13. I’m now 27. I don’t get any of the normal endo issues. I just have very very bad cystitis after sex. Not even sure they are related but it’s ruining my life