I Told My Doctor I'd Been Living In Debilitating Pain For 7 Years. His 2-Word Response Was The Final Straw.

How much pain is too much to bear? Where do you draw the line? I asked myself these questions as I sat on the cold examination table in my then-OB-GYN’s office last June.

I had always had painful monthly periods. They got worse in my 20s and became excruciating in my 30s. And when I hit perimenopause a few years ago, I began getting those debilitating periods twice a month.

That day in June, I explained to my doctor that I had been bleeding almost all month and was in constant pain. Advil and even prescribed narcotics didn’t touch the pain. I had gone from being bedridden two days per month to four. I had become profoundly depressed. Was this what the rest of my life would be like?

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I reminded my doctor that because I have a family history of uterine and ovarian cancers, I thought it was best to come see him, as things felt “off.” He seemed…annoyed. And in a hurry, which he always was.