Girls, is my period normal?

[Anonymous]

Alright, here it goes: I started getting my period a little over two years ago. I've always gotten REALLY bad cramps. Like, "I want to die they're so bad" cramps, complete with nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and just all out misery. I did some research, and what I found that's weird, is most women start their cramps a few days before their period starts and the cramps continue throughout their period. However, with me, I only get cramps the day of my period, right when it starts. That's when they're really bad. The next day, they're a bit better, and then they pretty much stop by the third day.

Is this normal? Also, does anyone else get really bad cramps? Sometimes they're so bad that even taking four ibuprofen plus a heating pad doesn't help at all.

i have a family history of bad cramps. My mom was a lot like me, and my aunt had them so bad she would vomit.

[coconutelixir]

That's exactly how it was for me the first few years of my period. I usually had to be sent home from school or staying home. Have you tried Midol? (not on an empty stomach). Midol at first hint of a cramp was the only thing that helped. For me it was normal and now I don't get cramps anymore... very rarely. If you have a family history of it, it's probably normal for you. Just next time you see your pediatrician, go ahead and mention it and see if she says anything.

[Anonymous]

Yep. It's normal. I take Advil every first day of my period to curb the pain because it is AWFUL. I am keeling over. I was at work once and my Advil wore off and I got extremely lightheaded and nearly passed out. I almost got in an accident on the way home. So needless to say, I also have bad cramps on the first day of my period.

[AzureGirl]

It's totally normal, my sister had the same cramping issue as you. I'm not sure how your mother would feel about this (considering you're young) but my sister's doctor put her on a birth control that lessens her painful cramps (and also fixes a few other period issues she had) so that could be an option you can explore.