Period pain isn’t always ‘just part of being a woman’: The signs of endometriosis that are easy to miss

The useful part

For years, women with severe period pain have been told some version of the same thing: cramps are normal, periods hurt, take some ibuprofen and get on with your day. For millions of women, the pain isn't simply an unpleasant part of menstruation. It may be endometriosis, a chronic condition that can affect far more than a woman's period.

How it works

• The issue is getting fresh attention as new, less-invasive diagnostic tools are being studied and introduced in some countries.
• The most important change may be recognizing that debilitating period pain, bowel symptoms, painful sex and chronic pelvic pain deserve investigatio...

What to take from it

That's encouraging because endometriosis can still take years to identify.