Mild discomfort during your period can be normal, but if your periods are so painful that you’re missing school as well as social events, and/or taking pain medication frequently to control the pain, you may have a condition called endometriosis. Keep a diary of your pain/discomfort and other symptoms for a few menstrual cycles then review your cycles with your health care provider. Based on your symptoms, your health care provider may consider if you have endometriosis; but the only way to diagnose “endo” for sure is to have a procedure called a laparoscopy.
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