A major US health insurance company is making artificial insemination available on all its eligible plans – regardless of sexual orientation or partner status.
Aetna, a subsidiary of CVS Health, announced the landmark change its intrauterine insemination (IUI) policy on Tuesday (27 August). Members can access the benefit as a test of fertility and, in some cases, to increase the chances of pregnancy.
“Expanding IUI coverage is yet another demonstration of Aetna’s commitment to women’s health across all communities, including LGBTQ+ and unpartnered people,” the company’s chief medical officer, Cathy Moffitt, said.
“This industry-leading policy change is a stake in the ground, reflecting Aetna’s support of all who need to use this benefit as a preliminary step in building their family.”
Aetna is one of the United States’ largest medical insurance providers, serving over 35 million people and when combined with the rest of CVS Health, makes up 11 per cent of the market share.
What is IUI?
Also known as artificial insemination, IUI is a fertility treatment that involves placing specially prepared sperm directly into the uterus. The procedure is done around the time of ovulation, to increase the chances of fertilisation.
The procedure is usually the first step for couples with unexplained fertility problems, but can also be used for single women and LGBTQ+ couples wanting to start a family. Unlike in vitro fertilisation, where the egg is fertilised in a lab and the embryos then implanted into the uterus, IUI is a direct injection of the sperm.
While IUI is generally less costly, the success rates are lower than IVF, especially for those over the age of 35.
Ground-breaking shift in policy for LGBTQ+ parents-to-be
Aetna’s previous policy only provided IUI treatments to straight couples who said they were not able to conceive after trying for six or 12 months, depending on their ages.
Single women and LGBTQ+ couples were required to pay for 12 cycles of IUI before they became eligible for coverage. The discrepancy was the subject of a 2021 lawsuit brought by a couple in New York.
In response, Aetna, without acknowledging any wrongdoing, committed to ensuring equal fertility treatment coverage for all policyholders, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. This includes reimbursing past claims for eligible LGBTQ+ individuals and establishing a $2 million (£1.5 million) fund to compensate those affected by the disparity.
Kate Steinle, the chief clinical officer at Folx, an American healthcare provider for the LGBTQ+ community, said: “We know first-hand the barriers people face in accessing medical care to start or grow their families.
“As an in-network provider focused on the LGBTQ+ community, we applaud Aetna’s efforts to reduce out-of-pocket costs, so that more people can have the families they dream of and deserve.”
The new policy comes into effect on Sunday (1 September).
US supreme court justices have ruled that president Joe Biden’s expanded Title IX protections cannot be enforced in 26 states where legal challenges are ongoing.
Title IX is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation which protects people from discrimination based on sex, in education programmes or activities that receive federal financial assistance, and is best-known for ensuring gender equality in college sports.
In April, Biden finalised the new anti-discrimination rules – first proposed in 2022 – which aim to protect people in public schools from sex-based discrimination and harassment, providing explicit protections for LGBTQ+ pupils and expressly prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
However, before the amendments could take effect, several Republican-controlled states vowed to reject the law, suing the Biden administration and labelling the legislation “illegal, undemocratic and divorced from reality”, claiming it puts “women at risk”.
On Friday (16 August), in a 5-4 vote, the US Supreme Court denied the administration’s request to allow most of the Title IX rule to go into force where courts have issued injunctions temporarily blocking it.
“In this emergency posture in this court, the burden is on the government as applicant to show, among other things, a likelihood of success on its… argument…” the ruling reads. “On this limited record, the government has not provided this court [with] a sufficient basis to disturb the lower courts’ interim conclusions that the three provisions found likely to be unlawful are intertwined with, and affect, other provisions of the rule.
“Nor has the government adequately identified which particular provisions, if any, are sufficiently independent of the enjoined definitional provision and thus might be able to remain in effect. Moreover… the Sixth Circuit has already expedited its consideration of the case and scheduled oral argument for October.
“The court expects that the Courts of Appeals will render their decisions with appropriate dispatch. In light of all of the circumstances, the court denies the government’s applications for partial stays.”
‘Cruel and hypocritical tactics
In response, Ria Tabacco Mar, the director of the American Civil Liberty’s (ACLU) Women’s Rights Project, said such lawsuits are “using attacks on trans kids as a way to roll back other rights for women and girls”.
She went on to say: “Attacking trans people does nothing to address the real problems women and girls face. We’re disappointed the Supreme Court allowed these cruel and hypocritical tactics to succeed, even temporarily. We will continue to fight for all students to learn in safe and equal schools.”
Jennesa Calvo-Friedman, a senior ACLU staff lawyer, said: “The new guidance from the Biden administration is crucial to clarifying the protections under Title IX for so many students, including transgender and other LGBTQ students, pregnant and parenting students, and other students facing sex-based harassment.
“But even without it, students are not unprotected.
“Despite what the Supreme Court did today, students can still bring private lawsuits against schools to vindicate their Title IX rights, including based on their gender identity or their pregnancy or parenting status, even in places where the rule is blocked.
“Schools should be aware that sex-based discrimination, including harassment, is unlawful, and students can still hold schools accountable. What’s more, schools do not have to wait for a mandate to adopt practices that welcome all kids. Trans-inclusive policies are still lawful, and schools can – and should – move forward with them.”
A young trans woman has been violently killed in Texas.
Dylan Gurley, 20, was found unconscious with multiple stab wounds by police on 23 July in Denton, Texas. The Little Elm resident was declared dead at a local hospital less than an hour after being found.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) reported that Gurley’s death is at least the 23rd violent killing of a trans or gender non-conforming person in the US in 2024.
A GoFundMe page created by Gurley’s sister is currently $500 away from its $5,000 target thanks to 77 donations. The funds raised will go towards Gurley’s memorial and marking her 21st birthday, which she would’ve celebrated on 18 August.
‘We are trying to put the pieces back together’
“We are just trying to put the pieces back together as best as we can and appreciate any and all help,” the fundraiser reads.
Little is currently known about the circumstances surrounding Gurley’s death, apart from the fact she was experiencing homelessness. At the moment no suspect has been identified.
According to tracking by the HRC, which began in 2013, Texas remains the state with the highest number of anti-trans murders. The taking of Gurley’s life marks the 36th since the organisation began tracking fatal violence in the state.
In Texas, trans and gender non-confirming people are not protected from discrimination across employment, housing, education and public spaces.
Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, is a vocal opponent of trans rights. In April, he said he wanted to “end” trans teachers expressing their identity in the classroom. In February he said the UN an “pound sand” after human rights groups raised concerns over the surge in anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the state.
Anyone with information regarding Gurley’s death can reach out to Denton Police by calling 940-349-7977. Anonymous tips can be reported at
Team LGBTQ+ (i.e. all of the publicly out lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer athletes) have finished in 7th place in the medal count, with an impressive 42 medals, consisting of 15 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. Slay!
In the traditional medal count (gold-silver-bronze) ranking, Team LGBTQ+ would be in 7th place.
That’s ahead of every single country that criminalises being gay, reports OutSports.
Japan was just in front of Team LGBTQ+ with 45 medals, while Italy was close behind with 40 medals, and the USA was way out in front of everyone with 126. Show offs.
For context, last time round, Team LGBTQ+ won a grand total of 32 team and individual medals – 11 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze – placing 10th in the 2021 Tokyo Games.
This year, Team LGBTQ+ smashed that number with their most-ever medals won.
However, that number will no doubt continue to increase over the course of future games as more athletes feel comfortable sharing their identity with the world.
Carl Hester is part of the bronze medal-winning Dressage Team. (Mike Hewitt/Getty)
Bronze Medals
Laura Aarts, Netherlands, Water Polo – Laura Aarts secured a bronze medal in the pool, beating the US.
Amandine Buchard, France, Judo – Amandine Buchard went from silver in Tokyo to gold in Paris in the 52kg category.
Natalya Diehm, Australia, BMX Freestyle – Natalya Diehm won a bronze medal which marked her as Australia’s first ever Women’s BMX Freestyle medal winner at an Olympic Games.
Lauren Doyle, Alev Kelter, Steph Rovetti, Kristi Kirshe, USA, Rugby Sevens – Rugby Sevens’ US team was bolstered by their LGBTQ+ stars and secured a bronze medal.
Beatriz Ferreira, Brazil, Boxing – Beatriz Ferreira won her second Olympic boxing medal after a thrilling match.
Carl Hester, Great Britain, Equestrian – Carl Hester (and his horse, Fame) secured his fourth Olympic medal in Paris with a bronze in Team Dressage.
Gabi Guimaraes, Ana Carolina Da Silva, Rosamaria Montibeller, Roberta, Brazil, Volleyball – The Brazillian women’s indoor volleyball team beat Turkey in the bronze medal match.
Evy Leibfarth, USA, Canoe Slalom – 20-year-old Evy Leibfarth, the first American to compete in three canoe/kayak Olympic disciplines, came away with a bronze.
Cindy Ngamba, Refugee team, Boxing – 25-year-old Cindy Ngamba has won a bronze medal in boxing, becoming the first athlete from the Olympic Refugee Team to win a medal at the Olympics.
Nesthy Petecio, Philippines, Boxing – Nesty Petecio won a bronze medal in boxing and is planning to retire after the Paris Olympics.
Tabea Schendekehl, Germany, Rowing – Tabea Schendekehl competed in the women’s quadruple sculls team event where she won a bronze medal.
Lea Schuller, Sara Doorsoun, Felicitas Rauch, Ann- Katrin Berger, Germany, Soccer – With four out players, Germany’s soccer team beat Spain 1-0.
Rafaela Silva, Brazil, Judo – Rafaela Silva won bronze in mixed-team judo, she won Brazil’s first gold medal at Rio 2016.
Samantha Whitcomb and Amy Atwell, Australia, Basketball – Winning bronze, Australia’s women’s basketball team secured their first Olympic medal since 2012.
Tom Daley wins a silver with his diving partner Noah Williams. (Clive Rose/Getty)
Silver Medals
Olivia Apps, Sophie de Goede, Maddy Grant, Canada, Rugby Sevens – The Canadian team took home the silver medal in women’s rugby sevens.
Perris Benegas, USA, BMX Freestyle – Perris Benegas freestyled her way to a silver medal after knee surgery a few months earlier.
Tom Daley, Great Britain, Diving – Avid knitter and Olympic icon Tom Daleywon a silver medal in the 10-meter platform synchro competition, his fifth Olympic medal, while his husband and sons looked on.
Raz Hershko, Israel, Judo – Raz Hershko won a bronze in Tokyo and secured a silver in Paris in the +78kg Judo category.
Michelle Kroppen, Germany, Archery – After a bronze team medal in Tokyo, Michelle Kroppen earned silver in the mixed team event.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, Denmark, Equestrian – Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour was part of the Danish dressage team who won silver.
Marta, Adriana, Tarciane, Tamires, Luciana, Lorena, Taina, Lauren Leal, Brazil, Soccer – The Brazilian women’s soccer squad had the second most out, LGBTQ+ athletes of any team.
Emma Twigg, New Zealand, Rowing – Emma Twigg won a silver medal in single sculls, dethroned from her previous gold.
Sha’Carri Richardson, USA, Track & Field – Bisexual track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson won a silver medal in the 100-meter sprint.
Lauren Scruggs, USA, Fencing – Lauren Scruggs won silver in an all-American women’s individual final, she also won gold in a team event.
Maria Perez, Spain, Track & Field – Maria Perez proved queer people do walk fast; she got a silver medal in the 20km racewalk.
Marianne Vos, Netherlands, Cycling – From her first Olympics in 2008, Marianne Vos went on to win silver in the 2024 women’s road race.
Haleigh Washington, USA, Volleyball – Bisexual volleyball player Haleigh Washington was part fo the US women’s volleyball team who secured silver, the runners-up to Italy.
Alice Bellandi secures a gold medal for Team Italy. (Alex Gottschalk/Getty)
Gold Medals
Alice Bellandi, Italy, Judo – Alice Bellandi secured Italy a gold in Judo and to celebrate the win she smooched her girlfriend (fellow judo star Jasmine Martin, who competes for South Africa).
Amandine Buchard, France, Judo – Amandine Buchard was part of the mixed-team gold medal for a home crowd in France.
Svenja Brunckhorst, Germany, 3×3 Basketball – Svenja Brunckhorst is a professional basketball player in Germany and France who won gold for the German team.
Tierna Davidson, USA, Soccer – Tierna Davidson is currently the only out player on Team US, after winning a bronze in Tokyo she’ll now be taking home a gold.
Paola Egonu, Italy, Volleyball – With Paola Egonu’s triumphant performance, Italy won its first-ever gold Volleyball medal.
Kellie Harrington, Ireland, Boxing – Kellie Harrington is the first Irish female athlete to win gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. She is now looking forward to a quiet life with her wife Mandy.
Ana Patricia, Brazil, Beach Volleyball – With her World Championship teammate Eduarda Santos Lisboa, Ana Patricia secured the gold in a thrilling match against Canada.
Maria Perez, Spain, Track and Field – Maria Perez won gold in the marathon walk relay, after earning a silver medal in the individual 20km event.
Sha’Carri Richardson, USA, Track & Field – Sha’Carri Richardson added a gold in the 4×100-meter relay to sit beside her silver medal in the 100-meter sprint.
Lauren Scruggs, USA, Fencing – Lauren Scruggs won a team gold medal, after a silver in individual. Scruggs makes history as the first Black American woman and the first Black, out lesbian to win an individual medal in Olympic fencing.
Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, USA, Basketball – Over half of the Team USA women’s basketball team, including a couple of coaches and staff, are publicly out. The team narrowly beat France for the gold.
Anne Veenendaal and Marleen Jochems, Netherlands, Field Hockey –
Lara Vadlau, Austria, Sailing – Lara Vadlau and her dingy partner Lukae Maehr won the first Gold medal of this year’s Olympics for Austria.
Frederic Wandres, Germany, Equestrian – Frederic Wandres (and his horse Bluetooth) trotted his way to gold in the German team dressage event.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, New Zealand, Rugby Sevens – Portia Woodman-Wickliffe won gold, her third Olympic medal for New Zealand. Woodman-Wickliffe is married to fellow Black Fern and World Cup winner Renee Wickliffe.
Democrat politician and LGBTQ+ rights activist Kim Coco Iwamoto has made history by becoming Hawaii’s first transgender House representative.
Iwamoto ousted fellow Democrat Scott Saiki – who has been speaker of the house since 2017 – from the 25th district seat, in the primary elections on Sunday (11 August).
The district covers Honolulu and Kaka’ako, two areas where recent infrastructure booms have transformed the landscape.
As a civil rights attorney and former school board member, Iwamoto’s campaign hinged on progressive policies for addressing homelessness, exposing government corruption and promoting small businesses.
Kim Coco Iwamoto with two of her supporters. (Facebook)
She said she was “so happy”, but a bit shocked, to have won. She had lost out to Saiki in two previous elections.
“Given the last two [primaries], it feels great to have this experience, especially knowing that so many very powerful people endorsed him. I wasn’t just campaigning against him, I was campaigning against the entire Democratic establishment in some ways.”
Who is Kim Coco Iwamoto?
Born on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on 26 May 1968, Iwamoto’s life has been defined by her connection to America’s 50th state. Initially educated at Hokulani Elementary, she moved schools several times before graduating in 1986.
Shortly after finishing her undergraduate degree, Iwamoto became involved with volunteering and local community groups in New York, where she helped support homeless youngsters, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals, which was part of her motivation for attending law school.
She eventually completed a local government programme at Harvard University in 2011 and went on sit on the Hawaii State Board of Education, representing the island of O’ahu, becoming the highest-ranking out trans person elected to a government position in the US.
The parents of a transgender teenager who took his own life have called for more support for youngsters waiting for care.
15-year-old Jason Pulman was found dead in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, East Sussex, in April 2022. He had been on an NHS gender identity service waiting list for more than two years.
Jason, who was trans masc, had been referred in 2020, but was told several months later that there was a 26-month wait just for a first appointment.
In April, an inquest jury found systemic failures by a range of services supporting Jason could have contributed to his death. Mark Pulman had noted that his stepson became increasingly frustrated over the lack of support and appeared to have “given up,” adding: “I know it broke Jason.”
The teenager’s mother, Emily, urged national services to do more to support trans under-18s on the waiting list. “They need so much more resources and not to have one appointment that’s years away,” she said.
“There needs to be regular input with these kids, so it’s not just about their gender, it’s about their mental health overall.”
Information collected by PA Media and reported by The Guardian suggests that more than 5,700 under-18s are waiting an average of 100 weeks for a first appointment.
Waiting times have only been exacerbated by the closure of what was England’s only youth gender clinic, at The Tavistock Centre in North London.
Jason’s stepfather believes that the numbers are “hugely underestimated” and added that he hopes families are given faster responses and emotional support.
“We want to change the system and we want to change it for the families because it’s a very lonely, isolating place to be when you think you’re the only person whose child is going through this,” he told the BBC.
“I don’t want people to think [being] transgender and suicide are the same thing, because they are not. I don’t want people to automatically be fearful. If your child feels [they are transgender], you’ve got to believe them and support them.”
Families of trans children need to take charge of the system and not to let it “take charge of you,” he added.
“Be on the phone, email them, push for more information,” he urged. “Never take it on face value that this [appointment] is going to be the answer to your problems because there’s going to be more support needed, like counselling for the whole family.”
Controversial podcast host Joe Rogan’s new Netflix comedy special is – unsurprisingly – full of gay and trans “jokes”.
At the start of July, Netflix released a 30-second trailer for the comedian’s first stand-up special on the platform for six years, Burn The Boats. The show is full of gay and trans jokes, including Rogan using slurs for gay and developmentally disabled people.
Rogan takes to the stage at his comedy club in Austin, Texas, and talks extensively about the LGBTQ+ community. “I’m not even remotely homophobic. I’m the opposite, I wish I was gay,” he says, before adding that he misses saying the f-slur.
Joe Rogan’s new comedy special is all you’d imagine it to be. (James Gilbert/Getty)
“I love gay men but I think about gay men the same way I think about mountain lions. I’m happy they’re real but I don’t want to be surrounded by them. They’re a bunch of dudes who fuck dudes. I don’t like my chances.
“They’re not unicorns, they’re just men who f*ck men. And every man who’s ever lived is a shifty cum salesman, OK? One hundred per cent, especially the ones who say they’re not.”
‘I also believe in crazy people’
Rogan, of course, has to mention trans people too, “I fully support your right as an adult to do whatever you want that makes you happy. I believe in freedom and I believe in love. But I also believe in crazy people.”
He goes on to spread misconceptions about transgender women.
“It’s almost like a pervert wizard waved a magic spell on the whole world. ‘With a wave of this wand, you can walk into the women’s locker room with a hard cock, and anybody who complains is a Nazi. Abracadabra’.”
He continues: “And it works Everyone just accepts this new reality, and it’s f**king weird. I think we need standards. You can’t just put lipstick on and now you can s**t in the women’s room.”
Rogan has previously aired anti-vax views and in the special touches on being labelled a conspiracy theorist – by stating several conspiracies including saying: “I think Michelle Obama’s got a dick.”
LGBTQ+ Americans are coming out younger than ever before, new research has revealed.
A probability-based Gallup Panel survey of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans adults, along with those who identify as something other than non-heterosexual or cisgender, showed that among the youngest LGBTQ+ adults, aged 18 to 29, the median age they came out was 17.
Those between the ages of 30 and 49, and from 50 to 64, came out in their early twenties. Adults aged 65 and above came out at the median age of 26.
Of the 71 per cent of adults who reported having come out to others before they turned 30, 57 per cent did so by the age of 22.
The findings of the survey, which was conducted online for a fortnight from 1 May, show that young adults kept their identity secret – having realised they were queer – for three years, while senior citizens waited the longest, 10 years, to come out.
Gallup’s survey highlights how young LGBTQ+ Americans are now coming out much earlier than their seniors. (Gallup)
Most LGBTQ+ adults said they knew they were LGBTQ+ when they were young, including 48 per cent realising by the age of 14, and 72 per cent by the age of 18.
Adults aged 65 and older were most likely to have come out later in their twenties, while, in contrast, the three youngest age groups were most likely to have done so between the ages of 19 and 22.
Just five per cent of gay or lesbian Americans reported not having come out to anyone, while 23 per cent of bisexual adults remain “in the closet”. LGBTQ+ women were found to be twice as likely as men to report having come out by the age of 14.
The survey also revealed that one in five LGBTQ+ adults believe that society’s treatment of queer people has “gotten a lot” or “gotten a little” worse.
On average, just one in every 20 LGBTQ+ adults said they have received poor treatment or harassment “frequently” because of their sexual orientation in the past year but that figure jumps to 19 per cent for those harassed or poorly treated “occasionally”.
A famous London LGBTQ+ landmark is set to reopen after almost 10 years thanks to the efforts of campaigners.
The Black Cap on London’s Camden High Street was a haven for LGBTQ+ Londoners from the 1960s onwards, eventually becoming one the city’s premier stages for cabaret and drag acts as well as a place to drink.
Among those whose careers started there was Paul O’Grady’s much-loved Lily Savage, drag act Hinge and Bracket, and RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano, BenDeLaCreme, Raja Gemini and Trixie Mattel.
The bar was forced to close in 2015 because of planning issues and determined campaigners have been pushing for it to reopen almost ever since.
Now, with the help of Camden Council, a company called Kicking Horse Three is set to open “The Cap’s” doors once again.
Kicking Horse Three’s Kirk Spencer, who also runs Newcastle LGBTQ+ venue Bobby’s, will oversee management of the venue, which will include food service, Alex Green of campaign group Black Cap Community told Attitude.
Green said the venue will offer a “cleaner and improved version of what was there before,” with the addition of four lettable bed-and-breakfast rooms on the upper floors, which will be aimed at artists and performers.
The ground floor will remain the bar area, while downstairs will provide performance space.
“Squatters moved in on New Year’s Eve and caused a lot of damage, which could have scuppered the whole project,” Green said. “They stole everything.”
Black Cap Community is conducting a survey to ensure the public have a say in the venue’s programming. You can give your views here.
Australian pro surfer Tyler Wright is a two-time world champion – but now she’s going for gold at the Olympics… although she won’t be anywhere near Paris.
This will be Wright’s first Games – amid what she calls a “sausage-fest” in the sport.
“As a young girl becoming a woman in surfing, 12 years ago, it was an era of ‘sex sells’,” she previously told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Sexy, straight, blonde, female” surfers were most coveted and she didn’t fit into those stereotypes.
“I’m built like an athlete, I’m not straight, I don’t have blonde hair. While men were allowed to go out and be athletes – and get paid for doing it – a lot of women weren’t. If you invest in women, you’ll see them excel.”
While she’s definitely going to the Olympics, she’ll be almost 10,000 miles from the French capital. Instead, she’s headed to Tahiti, the South Pacific archipelago in French Polynesia which is hosting the surfing events.
Wright comes from a family of surfers, including brother Owen who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Does Tyler Wright have a partner?
Wright identifies as bisexual and met her future wife, Lili Baker, in 2021.
“Lily is just a vibe,” Wright told The Sydney Morning Herald. “She was working in a cafe in Newcastle [in New South Wales] when I was in town for a contest. I felt so respected and appreciated [by her]. Eventually, I asked her out, she said yes and here we are.”
The pair have “an ease and openness” coupled with “love, respect and appreciation”.
Does Tyler Wright have a chronic illness?
Wright suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome in 2018, telling the media that she thought she was “gonna die”. She missed 14 months of surfing after winning world titles in 2016 and 2017.
She has also suffered from a respiratory issue because of narrow airways that left her struggling to breathe during competitions. She underwent a “life-changing” procedure to put “seven screws” in her head to improve her breathing.
“Through one of the specialists, we ended up finding that most of the time I’m under-oxygenated and I’m semi-suffocating all the time through my nose, and my airways are really small. I shouldn’t be able to do what I do, according to my brain scans and my anatomy. It’s really unusual that I am a professional surfer,” Wright told The Guardian earlier this year.
“I feel different going out and competing this season.”
She also once spent three days in hospital, suffering debilitating period pain.
