Period pain ‘almost as bad as heart attack’

In news that won’t surprise many of you, research shows period pain can be as “almost as bad as having a heart attack.”

John Guillebaud, a professor of reproductive health at University College London, has drawn praise from women after saying painful menstrual cramps are often dismissed and

his research has found that the pain from periods can be crippling for women.

“Men don’t get it and it hasn’t been given the centrality it should have,” he added. “I do believe it’s something that should be taken care of, like anything else in medicine.”

Last month, another study found women are three times more likely to die following a heart attack than men. Not for any physical reason – but because doctors fail to prescribe women the same treatment as for men.

There’s even a term for it: Yentl syndrome, a phenomenon that male doctors are twice as likely to ascribe female pain to psychological causes, and half as likely to prescribe adequate pain relief.

So, if you feel your GP is overlooking your pain, it might be time to see another doctor.

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