Remember that each woman has a different experience. Some women have such a light period that they only notice it because they find spots in their underwear. On the other hand, a woman with endometriosis will probably start being in excruciating pain the day before the period starts and will know exactly how long it lasts.
Source: I know someone with endo. She also has a resistance to at least one OTC painkiller because she used to pop those things like candy. And a female coworker of hers (with a very light period) thinks that most women are exaggerating and that periods aren’t much of a problem…
idiomaddict@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It’s also not an exact science, especially if you’re not on hormonal birth control. My cycle is 27-29 days, unless I’m stressed, in which case it can be up to 40 days. My period then lasts 3-4 days, but every 7-8 months, it instead lasts a full week and is way, way heavier and more painful than normal. No medical issues that my doctor can tell, sometimes it just be like that. So I will know that I should be getting my period in the next couple of days, but it’s never exact.
I used to be better about tracking it, but I realized I could feel a twinge about 20 minutes before the bleeding starts. Now I’ll even wake up to it, so there’s really not a downside to not tracking my period. (Except unforeseen medical issues, bc failures, and general bodily awareness)