Thomas van Groningen was devastated by menstrual pain last night in the talk show Op1. “I didn’t know this. I thought it was a constant pain, but it comes… Ouch!”
Emma Lok, the director of Women Inc., sat down at Op1 last night to draw attention to menstrual-related disorders, because women with complaints have to wait an average of seven to ten years for a diagnosis. Menstrual complaints were simulated for two men at the table.
Menstrual Simulator
While Mart de Kruijf did not flinch, political reporter Thomas van Groningen died a thousand deaths. “I have a simulator in my hands, with which we simulate those menstrual cramps, those deep cramps,” said the doctor next to him.
Presenter Margje Fikse sees Thomas completely broken down: “You feel it already, Thomas?”
Thomas: “Yes, it is on, yes.”
Cramp in calf
What does it compare to? “Cramp. I’ve had a cramp in my calf before, you know. That feeling, but in my gut. It hurts quite a bit. Ouch! Calm down, I said, friend.”
Emma Lok: “Just to get the idea: this is approximately equal to average menstrual cramps.”
Tij van den Brink: “But he can switch. He could also be having severe cramps, I think.”
Margje: “Terrible sadist!”
‘This is pathetic’
Thomas is really not good at the table at all. Margje: “I really feel bad for Thomas.”
It’s really intense, says Thomas. “I did not know that. I thought it was a constant pain, but it comes… Ouch! And it works again. Is that also how women experience it?”
Emma: “Yes, you cannot plan or predict it, it becomes more and less, it sometimes takes days. It is very different for each woman.”
Big mouth
Thomas doesn’t think it can be sustained. “I thought beforehand with my big mouth: I’m going to sit like this, very tough, just to show that we men can resist… But this is real… I’m sweating all over.”
It’s Mart’s turn next and he then endures the menstrual pain with a stony face.
Fragment
Thomas breaks down: