If you want to see a wonderful film on the period - Check out "The Pink Slip- A Period Film" - It was a bonus clip on the Dinah Shore Portal to Hell DVD - what's wrong with that girl's forehead?

Ooo, Morri. Your doctor hasn't offered you anything? Sounds like me in the beginning. 8 days was the norm. But, gradually it has gone down to only 3 maybe 4. Some other symptoms but nothing that I want to mess with. I can tolerate it. I don't even take pain meds because I am concerned it will only make my flow heavier? Not sure.

And, yes, it was quite exhilarating to buy those white sheets. Decadent even.

Yeah, he offered me Anaprox in 500mg pills, of which I could take up to three.

Anaprox was the prescription form before Naproxen Sodium became available over the counter as Aleve. So now I buy Aleve, and amazingly, can get away with far less now that I've learned "how" to take it. Hit the pain early and you can take less. Wait till the pain is bad, and you have to hit it with a lot and it will take a while to kick in.

But if you translate my 1500mg dosage allowance into the 220mg Aleve pills... I can take about 7. Luckily I usually keep it down to 2-4. But if I've taken 4 pills, you can be damn sure I'm not going anywhere without another 2 in my pocket just in case. Then again, if I've taken 4, I've probably started to head home.

I used Anaprox and Naproxen frequently until I got ulcer pains. Now I'm too sensitive to use it. Just one dose will come back to haunt me. I miss that stuff. :(

Only on LoT can a discussion about periods and boobs turn into feminism and matriarchal rituals. I fvcking love this place.

Well, here and the dinner table at my house. We try not to do it when the kids have guests. Don't always succeed.

Why does that surprise you?

And yes, I have.

Well, then it doesn't surprise me. :) I thought it fairly common.

One month later, Blueerica rezzes a thread...

So yeah, due to a few good reasons, I decided to skip a period while on the Nuvaring last month.

Now that I'm a couple of days before my period I have been experiencing the worst cramps of my 16 years of "womanhood." I felt like I was being stabbed from all directions and could barely move. The pain subsided, but occasionally comes back. I've been frustrated all day, which I partly attribute to PMS, and I just wanted to cry for no apparent reason by the days end.

Mind you, I'm not at ALL like this during my normal cycle... maybe a tiny bit weepy and just a bit frustrated. No cramps or nausea, thankfully, on a regular basis.

Could this be the result of not having my period? Amongst us, do we have an experience in this for my curious mind?

No experience but I do have sympathy. Here, take a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie. Take two. You need them. I hope today is a better one for you.

Also, I loved your phrase "15 years of womanhood", even if it made me calculate my own at 39 years. :)