Women are ‘raw-dogging’ their periods - an expert says there's one major risk
Periods.
As if dealing with tear-jerking cramps, immense back pain, tender breasts, fatigue, low mood and relentless bloating wasn't enough, many women now feel a pressure to 'raw-dog' their menstrual cycle - AKA dealing with bleeding, physical pain and hormonal shifts without using pain relief medication, heating pads, birth control, or symptom-tracking apps.
"I will raw dog period pains just to see how far I can go before I give up and take medication," shared one social media user as another chimed in: "Rawdogging my period - advice please?"
And a third echoed: "The feminine urge to raw dog period pains just to see how much bullsh*t you can put up with."
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While the controversial lifestyle choice may be having a moment online right now, an expert has warned over one major risk.
Jo Barry, owner of Scarlet, a sustainable period self-care brand born from her own endometriosis journey, began by explaining that her passion for the subject comes from 'living it'.
After dealing with stage 4 endometriosis and adenomyosis, seven laparoscopies, and eventually a hysterectomy, Jo quickly realised that for her, and many other women out there, nothing on the market was good enough for the pain she was in.
"So yes, I have opinions about 'toughing it out'," she exclusively shared with Tyla.
Is there any medical benefit to not treating period pain?
In short, the answer is no.
"And there's no medal for feeling every cramp at full volume," Jo continued.
"Choosing not to take medication is completely valid; that part is personal. But there's no prize for refusing all comfort. Heat, rest, movement, medication: these are tools, not a report card on how 'good' you are at bleeding."
According to the expert, the question that actually matters isn't whether you can cope without help - it's whether anyone has checked why it hurts this much in the first place.
"Pain relief should never become a substitute for answers," she outlined.
Does pushing through pain make you more resilient, or is that just a cultural idea?
"It's a story we've been sold, and we bought it in bulk!" Jo said.
"For generations, women and people who bleed have been praised for carrying on. We work, parent, sit exams and keep plans through pain we'd send anyone else to a doctor for."
Jo notes that this isn't resilience; it's conditioning.
"Real resilience is knowing what you need and actually asking for it, instead of treating debilitating pain as the entry fee for a period," she urged.
Can ignoring severe cramps make an underlying condition harder to diagnose?
"Yes," Jo explained, "because you can't investigate what everyone keeps calling normal."
Conditions like endometriosis and adenomyosis can cause serious period pain, and they already take years to diagnose.
"Every year spent being told 'that's just periods' is a year that pain goes unexamined," she continued. "I know that timeline personally. I was told mine was normal for a long time. It wasn't.
Ignoring pain doesn't cause the condition, but it does bury the evidence.
"So write it down: when it starts, how long it lasts, where you feel it, what comes with it, whether it stops your life."
How do you tell the difference between 'normal' period pain and pain that needs investigating?
Jo explained that some cramping is common but that being regularly removed from your own life is not.
"If your period stops you working, sleeping, studying, exercising or seeing people, that's worth investigating," she cautioned. "Same goes for pain that's getting worse, pain between periods, very heavy bleeding, fainting, vomiting, pain during sex, or pain going to the toilet around your period.
"My rule is simple: if your period keeps running your life, it's worth a proper conversation with a doctor. (Oh - and if they listen, get a new one!)"
Why do some people have almost painless periods while others are incapacitated?
"Because a period isn't a strength test, and pain isn't a personality flaw," Jo emphasises, noting that bodies, hormones and underlying conditions differ.
"Some people get mild cramps. Others have heavier bleeding, more inflammation, or simply feel pain more intensely. The trouble starts when the person with the easy period becomes the benchmark for everyone else," she added.
"Your period was never meant to be graded against your mate."
What's the biggest red flag someone who is 'raw-dogging' their period should never ignore?
"'Raw-dogging' a period reframes untreated pain as a flex and makes suffering look like an achievement," Jo warned, outlining that the biggest red flag in this case is 'pain that keeps stopping your life'.
"If you're fainting, vomiting, soaking through a pad or tampon every hour, hit with sudden or extreme pain, or hurting during sex or on the toilet, that isn't a challenge to beat," she resolved. "Get medical advice. And if you ever get sudden, severe pelvic pain, feel faint or unwell, or there's any chance you could be pregnant, treat it as urgent, not as content."
Jo concluded: "Pain is information."
Topics: Health, Life, Tyla Exclusive, Women's Health, Periods
Rhiannon Ingle