What the title says. Since getting my period at 13, I’ve almost never gotten the abdominal/uterine cramps everyone talks about. According to my mom, the women in my family don’t really get them. I have other symptoms, but not those.
However, what I do get are cramps inside my vagina closer to my vulva, especially on heavy flow days, and those can range from slight soreness to painful pulsations. Yesterday at my standing job, I was struggling to stand and take orders even after Advil because the pain was so bad. Which is relatable to a lot of women, but the location of the cramps is different. I’ve described it to my friends before as feeling like someone kicked me really hard in between my legs and now I feel bruised and vulnerable. My vulva is also slightly tender to the touch and it hurts a little to insert any kind of product until it’s situated correctly where I can’t feel it anymore.
Can anyone else relate to this? I’ve tried googling these symptoms and I can’t find anything that sounds like my experience. My sex ed and period help books never prepared me for these kinds of cramps and none of my friends can relate. I just need to know I’m not alone and that this is a normal, albeit uncommon, part of having a period.