I’m a woman and I had them for 40 years.
You are *not* “normal” during that time.
You are at the brutal mercy of roller-coaster-ride-from-hell hormones.
It is what it is.
Sorry for not being PC.
My wife who has her own business has had periods that were so bad that she had to lay down for about 2-3 days at the start. She would get headaches where she had to go to the emergency room and they would inject the back of her neck so she would get relief..
After this passed during the month she was perfectly functional and effective. But during that time of the month she was completely incapacitated.
Every girlfriend I have had was always really weird during period time. It varied from one to the other but the weirdness was there. Believe me you recognize the signs.
That has always been my experience.
Check out my comment #154. Although it sounds as if you are past this particular problem, you might be able to pass on some help to other young women. The help I found made all the difference.