"It's very, terribly sad," says one of the writers called Rako, ’the idea that teenage girls would grow up in a world where the idea of menstruating is considered undesirable and a nuisance. In fact, there's a certain kind of rhythm that goes

with your monthly cycle: where sometimes in the month you feel more energetic, sometimes more creative, sometimes more sexual, sometimes more vulnerable. That's all part of being female’.

Primary dysmenorrhea usually presents during adolescence and begins within three years of menarche. Pain begins with the onset of menstruation and lasts for a few hours and can be spasmodic and colicky. There can also be a feeling of an ache or heaviness in the lower middle section of the abdomen and sometimes may radiate to the lower back and legs. The first day of menstruation is the worst when the pain is most severe. 

Numerous symptoms accompany, including nausea, vomiting headache, loose stools, dizziness and fatigue. The cramps tend to decrease in intensity and completely disappear after childbirth.

In secondary dysmenorrhea the onset of symptoms is later in life. The symptoms usually begin a few days before the onset of menstruation and last several days after the start of bleeding.