'I was told my pain was 'normal' for 20 years. Here's what finally helped me.'

For two decades, Lux Perry heard the same dismissive responses about her debilitating pain.

"It's normal."

"You're being dramatic."

"Just go on birth control."

"Maybe try some antianxiety medication."

Like many of the one in nine Australian women living with endometriosis, Lux spent years being gaslit about her symptoms, told that the excruciating pain that left her bedridden was simply part of being a woman.

Watch: Three men try a period pain stimulator to see if they can handle women's pain. Post continues below.

"It impacted every aspect of my life," Lux told Mamamia. "I can look at every single piece of my life and tie it back to somehow being afflicted by endometriosis. It was almost impossible for me to keep a job. I couldn't even consider post-secondary education because I couldn't keep it together enough to go to school."

The psychological impact of being repeatedly dismissed was profound.

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.

"It takes a really, really long time to undo the psychological impact of people telling you those things... people telling you that it's normal," she shared. "You start to question everything about yourself."

But it was this very experience — the frustration of being ignored, the lack of solutions beyond birth control and painkillers, and the desperate need for alternative options — that eventually led Lux to create something revolutionary.

"I was working for a different company in muscle recovery when I had this idea to develop a pain-relief cream specifically for periods," she explains. "There was a complete lack of options and support beyond birth control and painkillers. I wanted to find an alternative path and support people in their journey to actually enjoying their bodies, finding some kind of pleasure in a moment of absolute nightmare."

That idea became Somedays, a company dedicated to providing science-backed, natural solutions for period pain. But what started as a product company quickly evolved into something much bigger.

"At the end of the day, the products we sell are just a vehicle and mechanism to fund the activism that we do. That's really at the heart of what we're doing," Lux said.

Ironically, it wasn't until after founding Somedays that Lux finally received her own endometriosis diagnosis.

"When I started having conversations and using Somedays as a platform, I actually built up the nerve to advocate for myself in a way that I hadn't been able to access before. I finally got formally diagnosed about a year after starting the company."

Now, Lux is determined to help other women avoid the two-decade journey she endured. Her company has developed the world's first online assessment tool that uses AI to accurately assess endometriosis risk levels.

"Understanding basic functions of your body and your cycle really empowers you to make better-informed decisions," she explained. "It's not informed consent if you don't know what's happening in your body — you can't make the right choices."

In partnership with Mamamia's new health platform Well, she's conducting an experiment using pain simulators to demonstrate the reality of period and endometriosis pain. And the results have been eye-opening.

"Something that surprised me the most is how many men we encountered that were actually really kind," Lux shared. "Men that were quite sympathetic and had partners who had experienced extreme period pain... men that teared up while they were talking to us about what they've had to witness their partners go through."

But not all reactions were supportive.

"The other one that shocks me is the men that are there with their wives and are continuing to dismiss them, even in that moment," she said, shaking her head. "It's just wild that people will look at the person next to them and just be like, 'Yeah, I don't believe you'."

However, if there's one thing the experiment has revealed, said Lux, it's just how deeply personal and impossible it is to standardise.

"Pain is so subjective," Lux explained. "Some people giggle when they're in pain. Some people are really stoic. Some people are really dramatic. Some people are vocal. Some people scream. Some people cry. Some people laugh hysterically. Some people get more mean. Some people enjoy it... and there's absolutely no way to gauge the severity of it based on someone's reaction."

It's this revelation that has helped Lux understand why the traditional pain scale is problematic. "The whole scale of one to 10 means absolutely nothing when it's a completely different experience for everyone. Like there is no real pain scale."

Her message to women still fighting to be heard?

"You need a specialist, and they exist, especially in Australia. Keep advocating for yourself, keep connecting with platforms that help you become more informed, and stay up to date with the latest research. Your pain isn't normal, and you deserve to be heard."

It's a message that hits differently, coming from someone who spent 20 years being told to 'just deal with it'. Through Somedays, Lux has created what she desperately needed during those years of searching for answers.

"Understanding the basic functions of your body and your cycle really empowers you to make better-informed decisions," she explained. "It's not informed consent if you don't know what's happening in your body — you can't make the right choices."

For Lux, it's a bittersweet reality that her company has become "all the things that you needed" during those years of struggling. But it's also a powerful reminder that sometimes the most impactful solutions come from those who have lived through the problem.

"It's a horrific reality to kind of come to terms with that there isn't actually any answer or solution," she admitted. "I can have surgery, I can take medication, and I'm still going to have these episodes, and it's still going to impact my life. But what we can do is create better understanding, better support, and better options for everyone going through this."

Through pain simulator experiments, developing innovative tools for early detection, and continuing to advocate for a better understanding of women's pain, Lux is turning two decades of being dismissed into a movement for change.

Because no one should have to wait 20 years to be heard.

For more content from Mamamia's new health platform Well, head here or listen to the podcast here. You can also sign up to the Well Newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trusted health expertise without the medical jargon.

*If you think you may have endometriosis, please speak to your GP or find an endometriosis specialist. For more information about endometriosis and to take Somedays' online assessment, click here.

Feature Image: Supplied.

Well by Mamamia. Australian women, welcome to your full-body health check. At Well, our goal is to improve the health of one million Aussie women by delivering the game-changing health info they actually need. This initiative is made possible through the support of our presenting partner, Chemist Warehouse, and our pelvic health topic sponsors, Metagenics and Chemist Warehouse.