The human reproductive system is rather complicated for both men and women. This system takes a gigantic importance in the teen years because it’s the reason voices change, hair grows, breast develop, penises and testicles grow and menstruation arrives. I got a period. It’s horrible, the constant bleeding, cramps, the mood swings, the cravings. I remember always hearing in those awkward conversation you somehow always got yourself in that every case is different. One time I heard about Endometriosis and someone explain to me how it was when someone got more intense cramps than other people. When I got my first period I remember I was scared and that it hurt so much I thought I was going to die my mom gave me some pain relievers but nothing worked, this happened every single month. Until one day my mom took me to this magical place called the gynecologist.

She explained to me that maybe my period was stronger than others and that that was completely normal. But when my mom told her that not even the strongest pain reliever could stop my cramps or at least control them a little she got worried. Everything went from cool to sonograms real fast. After a couple of tests, she told me I may have what’s called Endometriosis and I instantly went back to that conversations everyone was explaining how having Endometriosis must be horrible. Turn out that Endometriosis is more complicated than bad cramps, it’s “a condition resulting from the appearance of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and causing pelvic pain”. It works a little like this, endometrial tissue gets outside of its proper place and gets “stuck” in other organs of your body so when you’re close to that time of the month every one of those parts active like they were still in the endometrium causing the agonizing pain all over the body. In my case, Endometriosis causes more than just heavy pain, I vomit more than I could ever imagine, I faint everywhere but usually in the bathroom while I vomit, my appetite is nonexistent, and I don’t get mood swings, in this hell week you get a free ride on the mood roller coaster every thirty minutes, acne is horrible, my breast hurt like if Norman Bates had just stab each six hundred times.

During this week and the week before where my body is preparing to literally kill me from the inside out I deal with a couple of things that just get in my nerves because if this I’ve created a list of things that I don’t want to silent anymore.

• “Why don’t you just take a Midol?”
  • Offering me a Midol when I’m in my period is like offering a pain reliever to someone with a broken bone it's offending and stupid.
• “It can’t be that bad.”
  • No, it’s not. I just have no control over my body, everything hurts and the only thing that I can do is wait until my body shuts down because it cannot deal with all of the pain until then I’ll just scream and vomit, no biggie.
• “The pain you’re feeling is what every women experiences but you feel it worst because your body is weaker.”
  • I would like to let you know that all of my organs are hurting right now. My body was weak but having to deal with this, seven days a week, twelve times a year for six years has made my body really strong and I don’t wish this pain to my greatest enemy how am I going to wish it to the whole women popularity.
• “Did you know that labor pain is almost ten time your normal period pain?”
  • Yes, I did, but did you know that Endometriosis is one of the main causes of infertility in women? Maybe and thankfully I’ll never get to experience that horrible pain.
• “Not even a bottle of water? That’s funny, when I’m in my period all I want to do is eat.”
  • Congratulations, but no not even a bottle of water unless you’re willing to clean the mess after I vomit the water.
• “So the only thing you can do to stop the pain is get pregnant?”
  • Again, I may never have children, but if your question is “what can you do to stop the pain?” I have to change my diet and lifestyle completely to maybe start having a little control of the pain.
• “Why can’t you eat this?”
  • This particular food is bad for my liver and a bad liver and a bad period are not a good combination.
• “How are you going to deal with this when you have a partner?”
  • Easy I’ll just sit with the person and explained to them of this condition, the effects that has in my life and the effects it may have on our relationship (painful sex and infertility)

I have Endometriosis and I hate it, it makes a lot of things in the present and the future uncertain, but one thing that I’m one hundred percent sure is that it’s not going to stop me in any way, I’m going to fight it and I’m going to win.