The period serves to rid the body of its uterine lining. The uterine lining serves to provide a place for a fertilized egg to grow during pregnancy. If a woman is not pregnant, her body will shed the lining every month at around the same time. The lining itself is very rich in nutrients, to provide a good environment for the embryo to grow. As to why it's painful, it happens differently for everyone. Some girls don't have much problem at all when that time of the month rolls around, but a lot do have problems with cramps. If the cramps are VERY painful, you would do well to see a doctor. Although if you have just started having your period in the last year or so, it will tend to be irregular and possibly more painful than may be the norm in the future.

According to my college Anthropology the purpose of menstration is to flush out possibly infected tissue to prevent STD's. During impregnation it's worth the risk. That's all I really know.

It's a girl's punishment for the pain in the butt she is to a man the other three weeks of the month. :)

So they can have baby's. Hey you know they have come a long way to help women with the pain, etc. Go to your doctors and tell them what is going on. I am sure something can be done to help you.

I literally used to be in bed for 2 days every month until I had my daughter. I hate getting my period but in my opinion, it's still easier to be a woman than a man

Its like a chicken laying eggs perawwk! seriously men have it easy compared to women.

I thought it had something to do with a snake and an apple..

God wisely gave women the period if men had them the world would come to a standstill LOL.

It is biology and not a curse. and as for men and periods, if we had the responsiblity of being the givers of life we would do as good a job as (most) women. Women don't have the lock on compassion and caring. As for the pain, Ibuprofen.

yep bible seems to be explanation! (googled and found bits about it from a website.... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.answering-christianity.com/karim/women_are_cursed_in_bible.htm "LABOR After Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, God punished Eve that she will have increased labor (Genesis 3:16). This is often translated as pain. The concept of pain in childbirth, the so-called curse of Eve, cannot be traced to Scripture in the original languages, or to early Judaism. Genesis 3:16 is used as proof that pain is inevitable, ordained by the Creator as punishment for Eve's sin. The word translated as "sorrow" or "pain" is the Hebrew word etzev. However etzev is also used for Adam in the following verse, Genesis 3:17, a fact most translators have overlooked! The Hebrew Bible with English translation reads as follows: "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow (etzev) and thy pregnancy: in pain (etzev) thou shall bear children ... And unto Adam he said, ... cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil (etzev) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life" (Hebrew Bible, 1965)." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I've been bed ridden once a month for the past 15 years..until had a recent key-hole surgery operation and cist removed from fallopian tube,(they left the other cist in there!). I was then put on the mini pill(was not allowed previously to take the pill due to having had open heart surgery). Period pain has really messed up my 'career' prospects with regards low confidence and high sickness records & consequences of this- low incomes, unemployment periods, circumstantial depression. So if I'd known all that was coming I think I would have thought more seriously about marrying earlier! hehe. I also think the man has a hard time work wise, but these days the pressure is also on the woman to be career minded, which has its detremental consequences ..pro's and con's in both scenarios. Personally I just wanted to be a mum and a home maker, and also work part-time in the community for a healthy balance!As you can lose your confidence I hear just being at home with the kids too!! I heard too that having children eases the period pain, but I haven't had any children yet! boo-hoo. Period pain is just the worst thing though isn't it! -just about. You feel like you are dying! Fainting and sweating from the your whole body being wracked with pain, then throwing up for hours. Sometimes the throwing up, gave relief to the pain, other times it excentuated it. But you learn how to pray thats for sure. And I remember the peace after the worst was over, and thanked God a lot at that point! I am in full sympathy with anyone here who has to go through this. I hate it when women don't understand though, as some don't have the pain at all and can be at times quite cold/judgemental in my experience, (particularly at the workplace).

Not everybody has painful periods. It only the life style, eating habits, etc., which makes it painful.

ITS LIFE!!!! I use to suffer bad periods and there a lot better now but still not right. I was diagnosed with PCOS 3 years back so now I know the reason behind the pain every month. So it worth getting it checked out it may not even be this, it may be cause you are young and your body is still changing. But I have 2 children since being diagnosed and the periods have got a lot better. Take some pain kellers when you get pain and I also think that a hot water bottle help when placed on your stomach.