Missy, one thing I did with my husband to help him understand was to have him read some of the postings here!  When he saw that other women had the same or worse problems he began to understand.  I realized something about men too.  When I was trying to describe my pain, I asked my husband if he was ever constipated or had diarreah and had cramps.  He said no.  He had no idea what type of pain it was.  Men don't even have menstral cramps.  They bang their fingers and it hurts like heck for a while, but MOST men do not have anything to compare it to.    Just a thought to ponder. Jessica :0)