- Blogger RMJ (Deeply Problematic) wrote a series on disability and birth control: Part One. Part Two. Part Three.
- Feministing reports on clinical trials of a new hormone-free birth control method – for men.
- Via Ms. magazine’s blog, we learn that vulvodynia, the inflammation and irritation of the vulva, is finally starting to receive some attention and research funding.
- The Health Crazies identify 17 adverse effects of hormonal contraception.
- Medical advice columnist in the Calgary Herald offers recommendations for dealing with painful periods.
I get really frustrated when I see health care providers recommending the Same. Old. Things. for managing menstrual pain. I grasp that a lot of people respond well to NSAIDs. However, I also think a lot of people try over-the-counter NSAIDs *before* asking medical professionals for additional advice.
I’m also frustrated when doctors fail to even mention possibilities like endometriosis, which is a very real possibility when talking about pain severe enough to miss school. Certainly I can’t say what anyone else does or does not have, and I realize that my own experience is skewing the way I’m viewing this, but… on average, people who are diagnosed with endo experience a 10 year delay between the onset of symptoms and when they actually receive a diagnosis.
That’s 10 years in cyclical — sometimes nearly constant — significant pain.
And while I am concerned about reacting too strongly the other way, pathologising menstruation instead of treating it as a normal life event… At the same time, on the while, I think severe menstrual pain deserves to be taken more seriously by health care providers than it often is.
I agree, Tori. I am from Calgary and was disturbed by the inadequacies of Dr. Peter NIeman’s column on menstrual pain. Putting teenagers on the pill for menstrual pain is a cop-out treatment. And not exploring the possibility of endometriosis borders on malpractice. I will be contacting him directly to share my concerns. He should have directed readers to the website of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation REsearch. http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca There readers might find some fresh thinking on painful menstruation and endometriosis. https://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/taxonomy/term/1