XIAMEN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese internet firm that runs the country's leading women's health app "Meet You" held a fancy Women's Day activity inviting men to experience the pain equivalent to women's menstrual cramps.

The activity started Thursday in the eastern Chinese city of Xiamen, drawing more than 100 males curious about the experience.

Li Xiao'ou, 32, screamed minutes after the staff turned on a machine, which sent electric pulses to stimulate his body to trigger the level of pain as harsh as women suffering from menstrual pains.

"Stop! I really cannot bear it! Ah!" Liu said and asked the staff to turn off the voltage. Lying on the chair, Li grimaced as he sat up.

"After just 10 minutes, I was trembling and my palms were sweaty," Li said. "I now understand how painful it is when my wife suffers from menstrual pains."

The organizer, Xiamen Meet You Infotech Co. Ltd, is a Xiamen-based developer of the "Meet You" app, offering a menstruation tracker for women. The company said the activity aims at raising public awareness to protect women's rights.

One of the participants, Chen Fangdan, said he gave up the idea to persuade his wife to have a 2nd baby after he experienced the pain.

"The machine produces the pains from outside, but I know that the real cramp is from inside. Compared with menstrual pains, I imagine that labor pain is more unbearable. I don't want her to suffer from it again," he said.

Liu Canhui, director of the Pain Treatment Department of the Xiamen Chenggong Hospital, said the International Association for the Study of Pain classified menstrual pains as severe pain, scoring 7 out of 10 while the pain from delivering babies can reach the highest level of 10.

He said that menstrual pains can affect a woman's appetite and sleep. However, during the past 10 years of his work in the department, he has not seen any women asking for medical certificates to take sick leave because of dysmenorrhea.

In fact, starting in 1993, authorities in Beijing, Shanghai and the provinces of Henan, Guangdong and Sichuan have put it into the local regulations that women suffering from menstrual pains are entitled to have 1 to 2 days of leave if they show to their employers that they have medical certificates given by licensed practitioners to prove the severity of the problem.

Jiang Yue, a professor of the Xiamen University's Law School, said menstrual pains leave is a controversial issue. Supporters say that it protects women's right. Opponents argue that it deteriorates the stereotyped image of women in the workplace, and makes employers hire more men.

"It's possible that the soft welfare benefitting female employees may lead to new gender discrimination. It may make it even harder for women to find a good job," she said. "That may be the reason why female workers would rather endure menstrual pains and keep on working."