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Léa | ⏳ 3 min read
What is period pain equivalent to?
Every month, millions of women grit their teeth through their periods. But when trying to describe the pain to someone who has never experienced it, words fall short.
So the question keeps coming back: what is period pain equivalent to? A heart attack? Childbirth? Here are the comparisons validated by science and the only way to truly feel them.
Summary
Pain only makes sense when compared. Here is what studies, doctors, and simulator testers have to say about it.
1. What exactly is period pain?
A muscular, vascular, and inflammatory pain
Menstrual cramps, or dysmenorrhea, are caused by uterine contractions. During each cycle, the uterine muscle contracts to shed the lining. These contractions compress blood vessels, temporarily depriving the muscle of oxygen and triggering pain. Prostaglandins, inflammatory molecules released in large quantities, amplify the phenomenon.
Pain that can be intense
According to Inserm, about 90% of women of childbearing age experience pain during their periods, and 40% of them describe this pain as moderate to severe. Some lose hours of work or school every month. But for someone who has never had a period, what is period pain equivalent to exactly? That is where comparisons become useful.
2. What is period pain equivalent to? The 3 recurring comparisons
Equivalent #1: a heart attack
This is the comparison that went around the world. Professor John Guillebaud, a gynecologist at University College London, stated that some menstrual pain could be as intense as a heart attack. Same mechanism location (muscular ischemia due to vascular compression), same intensity on the VAS scale (up to 8 or 9 out of 10). One in ten women experiences this every month.
Equivalent #2: childbirth contractions
Menstrual cramps and contractions are biologically related; in both cases, the uterus contracts under the effect of prostaglandins. The difference in intensity is mainly due to the amplitude and duration of the contractions. On this subject, the detailed article the equivalent of period pain for men shows quotes from testers who speak of "pre-labor."
Equivalent #3: renal colic
Renal colic, caused by a kidney stone blocking the ureter, is considered one of the most severe pains a human can experience. Some severe cases of dysmenorrhea reach the same level: throbbing pain, spasms, and lumbar radiation. There is no data directly comparing the two, but many women with endometriosis testify to a similar intensity.
Key takeaway: Severe periods, heart attacks, contractions, renal colic—all these pains can reach 8 to 9 on the VAS scale. The difference is the duration, not the intensity.
3. The period simulator: the only real way to feel it
An experience to live, not to imagine
As long as pain remains theoretical, it remains abstract. The Madame Patch period simulator sends small electrical impulses (TENS) that contract the abdominal muscles, mechanically reproducing menstrual cramps. It is not painful "like a shock": it is the exact same sensation of uterine spasm that women experience every month.
Several levels of intensity
The simulator offers several levels, from mild discomfort (level 1 equivalent to minor annoyance) to intense pain (maximum level equivalent to severe dysmenorrhea). This is what allows partners, brothers, colleagues, or fathers to stop saying "it's just a bit of a stomach ache": they feel what it means, level by level.
Caution: The simulator is not suitable for people with a pacemaker, those who are pregnant, or those suffering from heart conditions. If in doubt, seek the advice of a healthcare professional before use.
4. Going further: the childbirth contraction simulator
For those who want to push the experience further, the contraction simulator reproduces the pain of childbirth. The same electrostimulation principle is used, but with a greater amplitude and a rhythm that mimics labor contractions. You can learn more about the exact operation in this dedicated guide: childbirth simulator: how it works.
Period simulator or contraction simulator? The former reproduces monthly dysmenorrhea, the latter pushes towards the intensity of childbirth. Both answer the same initial question what is period pain equivalent to but on two different scales.
5. What men who tested the simulator say
Members of parliament, YouTubers, partners: more and more men are agreeing to test the simulator on camera. The reactions are unequivocal. "I didn't think it could hurt so much so quickly" comes up in almost every test. Many give up before reaching the maximum level—the one some women experience several days a month.
Beyond the spectacular aspect, it is a true awareness tool: it transforms an invisible pain into a shared experience. The details of this device are explained in this guide on the period simulator for men, an awareness tool.
Why making people feel means making them understand
Studies in the psychology of pain show it: you cannot truly understand a pain you have never felt. Words, comparisons, and metaphors are not enough. Direct experience, even if short, changes one's perspective in a lasting way. And that is exactly the point of the simulator: to silence the minimization.
And you, what level will you handle?
Period pain is equivalent to a heart attack, a contraction, a renal colic. There is now a way to really feel it.
Test the period simulator →
Léa | Editorial Manager for Menstrual Health, Madame Patch
Since 2022, I have been writing content to educate you on all topics related to painful periods (PMS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, simulator, etc.).
