While every woman is different, cramps generally affect every lady in one way or another at some point. Even though some women don't get cramps very badly, there are still some ladies out there who should be able to use cramps as a legitimate excuse to skip out on work or school.

Endometriosis, as defined by Mayo Clinic , is "an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus (endometrial implant). Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, bowel or the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond your pelvic region."

With more than 200,000 diagnosed cases in the U.S. per year, it's safe to say that severe cramps are not a pretend issue. While not everyone has this condition, it is common enough.

Mullerian Anomalies are when a woman's uterus is misshapen in some way. Just like endometriosis, this can cause pain and irregular cycles. These deformities are not extremely uncommon.

Furthermore, some women just have bad cramps regardless of having an abnormality. This means that, more often than not, women experience bad cramps usually once a month for a period of time. Severe cramps can lead to the following objective symptoms:

- vomiting

- diarrhea

- fainting

If an employee calls in and says, "hey, I'm throwing up and I don't think I should come in," the employer would probably think, "Oh, you have the flu. That's fine."

However, if a person calls and says, "Hey, I don't think I can make it in. I have cramps so bad that I'm throwing up." The employer might think, "Suck it up. The world doesn't stop because you're uncomfortable. You get this every month. Aren't you used to it by now?"

Sorry, but if you're throwing up or in such bad pain that you can't function, it's okay to miss work or school and you shouldn't have to feel bad about it.

From my own experience, I've had teachers and principals tell me that I can't use cramps as an excuse, regardless of the fact that I have had to leave class to throw up because of the pain. I've even had to be taken by ambulance for the pain, but still, I hear people telling me that I have no excuse. It's ridiculous because menstrual cramps are easily the worst pain I've ever felt in my life and I can tell you that I'm not the only one.

For those of you who can't empathize with the pain, I've created a list that might help. The following are comparable descriptions to how it feels to have severe menstrual cramps:

- shoving toothpicks under fingernails

- getting a tooth pulled (without numbing)

- being stabbed repeatedly with a dull butcher knife

- being skinned alive

- throwing yourself into a wood chipper

In conclusion, having cramps can be a really horrible experience. Whether or not you get them severely, or if you’re a male, please keep an open mind for those who do experience a level 10 pain once a month