Endometriosis: Why do Some People Have Really Bad Period Pain?

Painful periods are unfortunately very common. Between 5 and 10% of all people who menstruate have endometriosis. Endometriosis is a chronic condition which causes severe period pain. It usually starts when a person begins to menstruate and keeps causing problems until menopause, the time of life when periods stop. Endometriosis can also affect the possibility of having children. On average, it takes 7 years before people with endometriosis find out what is causing their painful periods. Scientists and doctors do not know for sure why or how some people get endometriosis, and there is no cure for this difficult condition, but there are ways of managing it. In this article, we will describe what endometriosis is and how it can be recognized and managed.