Individuals with ovaries and a uterus experience a monthly cycle of menstruation that is the shredding of the uterine lining. They typically start at age 12 and do not stop until menopause is reached, which occurs around age 50. Individuals with periods have eggs that want to be fertilized by sperm. The body spends a month preparing the egg to be fertilized by sperm. 

However, when the egg is not fertilized it shreds itself and comes out of the vagina: it’s all blood, tissue and eggs. Periods can last two to seven days; duration can depend on the person and each cycle may not be the same. While periods are a natural function of the body and not a cause for concern, the process can have some symptoms. 

Dr. Gibson is an assistant professor of psychology at Drury University. When Drury University wanted to update their psychology major photos on the website, Dr. Gibson suggested a period pain simulation. She reached out to students in her classes to participate and about eight students, including myself, participated in this simulation. 

The device used to simulate period pain was a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine. According to Medical News Today, a TENS machine sends electrical currents through small adhesive pads which are attached to the skin. These small electrical pulses can help block pain transmitters and can even stimulate pain relievers in the body. The lowest setting is a 1 and the highest setting is 10,

This pain is normally used to help relieve pain. For this simulation, however, it was used to simulate the pain of a period. 

While we were all laughing together there was a sense of nervousness especially from the male students. “Don’t be nervous,” Dr. Gibson assures, “women experience this all the time.” Pairs were tested at a time, one a female student and one a male student. 

The first couple of settings were rather soothing, like a massage on your stomach. However, by the fourth level the male students began to show some discomfort. Meanwhile, the female students did not even flinch. Serenity Sosa said that it “felt like nothing”, meanwhile Garrett Weber commented “this sucks, this really sucks.”

Dr. Gibson asked Weber if he felt like he could attend class experiencing this sort of pain. He answered “No, no. I don’t think I could do anything.”

By level 5, most people were starting to feel it. Dr. Gibson asked if this was a manageable level of pain. “This is fine, this is manageable,” Sosa says, “this would be a sucky day, but it would be fine.” Weber has the opposite response, saying this would be his worst day. 

At higher levels, male students had very physical responses to the electric pulses. They were moving and clenching their firsts as they felt extreme pain in their abdomen region. Dr. Gibson would ask if they felt comfortable continuing to a higher level. Some reluctantly agree since they wanted to understand, for the moment, what pain someone might experience during their period. 

It was a very interesting experience to see someone understand and empathize with the pain that they go through. It is a realization that something is not exactly how you thought it was. If you think you can handle the pain, then you should definitely try it.