
It's emotional for Tassie woman Olivia Shekleton to put into words just how much pain she has experienced over her lifetime.
As a teenager, she would complain to her mother about the deep pangs she would feel in her pelvic region, describing it as "a lead balloon in my stomach". Her periods were extremely painful, and she would have to take multiple days off sick per month.
Watch: Three men try a period pain stimulator to see if they can handle women's pain. Post continues below.
Doctors gave her the best temporary fix they had, without doing the necessary investigative medical work. They put her on the pill at age 17.
"I was sexually active, so the contraception part of being on the pill was relevant. And for the next decade, it alleviated the symptoms — specifically the intense pain and the really heavy bleeding," she told Mamamia.
By age 30 — after 13 years of being on the pill — Olivia made the decision to get off contraception.
Listen: In Mamamia's brand new podcast Well, co-hosts Claire Murphy and Dr Mariam discuss everything you need to know about periods and bust a few myths along the way. Post continues below.
"I had met my partner, Rob, in my mid-20s, and we were engaged and set to get married very soon. We wanted to start trying to have children, so coming off the pill was a no-brainer."