PSY-270 TECEP (Psychology of Women)

[Leherself]

I agree with that. I'm not going to say the whole thing is a big lie but there are parts that certainly I think aren't really as truthful as they could be. The book tries to claim that men and women are pretty much the same, even going to the point of pretty much outright saying that menstrual cramps have been exaggerated and that most women don't have them.

Whaaaaat?

So there's me, at 19, fresh out of military basic training where I hadn't had my periods for a couple months. Then I get my first one during AIT and it's a *doozy*. I collapsed in the middle of class, in so much pain that all I could do was curl up, rock a little, cry, and try to remember what breathing was for and how do I do it again? My instructor freaked out and practically carried me to medical himself.

Medical said it was cramps and what did I want them to do about it. I asked for a hysterectomy (this wasn't the first time I'd had a similar issue). Then I said if they didn't want to do it, just give me a spoon and I'd figure it out on my own. "Pretty sure it'd still hurt less."

What can I say, I was 19. Drama was my thing.

They finally gave me some pain meds and sent me on my way. I'm currently on a form of birth control that gets rid of my periods altogether, and pretty much plan to stay that way until I go through menopause.

It's good to know that in order to be a Real Feminist™ I need to pretend that cramps aren't a real thing. Guess it was all in my head, huh? I just *imagined* that for several years my monthly was so bad I had to stop my life so I could curl up with a hot pack, pain pills, and cry for hours/days until it was over. All in my head.