When Shannon was in grad school, she had a part-time job working at a chiropractor's office.

And one day, while she was walking patients back and forth into exam rooms, she was really

struggling to keep it together because she was having her period.

Now, I remember walking patients back just like every second, just like you can do this,

you can do this, and just gluing a smile to my face and walking down the hallway.

And then forcing myself to come back and going behind like the curtain to like the employee

area and just doubling over and laying on the ground, just soaked in sweat because I was

just in so much pain.

And just thought, well, this is just cramps.

I mean, this is just what everybody deals with and I just needed to suck it up.

This was normal for Shannon when she got her period.

She was often in extreme pain, sweating, unable to walk.

Sometimes the pain meter barf.

Jennifer figured that's why periods are called the curse.

And that's why we would take hot baths or have heating pads or that's why they invented

things like my doll.

Or, you know, and that was all kind of a big joke because none of it really worked, but

we all just kind of went along with it.

Like, oh, yeah, this feels better, things.

That day in the office, one of Shannon's colleagues found her on the floor by the coffee maker,

just writhing and pain.

Shannon remembers looking up at her and saying, I'm fine.

...