Rachel Blundell

Here’s a fact: Periods can be as painful as a heart attack. Here’s another fact: They shouldn’t be. Yeah but you’ve never been kicked in the balls, have you? You’re right. No woman will ever have the misfortune of being kicked in the testicles, nor will a man have to experience periods. So, let’s lay down our weapons, and take a minute to listen. And maybe learn something. Globally, of the 1.8 billion people who menstruate every month, 5-10% of these people (90 million -180 million people- that is equivalent to 2000 full Wembley Stadiums) have said they live with debilitating pain. Pain so severe it hinders their ability to function. And still, the narrative surrounding menstruation is censored, leading to a lack of understanding among men and women alike.

It seems the whole glorious world of womanhood – menstruation, menopause and the like – is often dismissed, or It’s glossed over, usually clumsily handled, heavily euphemistic and entrenched in stigma. Women’s health, largely concerning menstrual disorders such as: endometriosis, menorrhagia, and dysmenorrhea, are still far from a priority and research on these disorders have only met more barriers since the outbreak of COVID-19. Dr Gunjit Bandesha, Director of Healthcare Public Health, NHS England Northwest, told us: “In general I would say that Women’s health issues haven’t had the spotlight they need. I am afraid this is because of many health policies and processes driven by the male agenda, although this is slowly changing”.

And while there are effective treatment pathways available, severe pain and heavy bleeding have been normalised. All too often women are left waiting to receive support on avoidable monthly struggles.Dr Natalie Brown of University of Swansea, an expert on the impact of menstruation on mental and physical health especially concerning athletes, stated: “Misinformation exists with regards to when an individual should seek medical advice and where to go to receive support.”I asked a friend who suffers with extreme periods, Suzan, about her experience with menstruation and she said: “I remember I had bad cramps in school, the kind that shoots through your pelvis and down your legs. By the end of my first lesson, the pain was so intense, it was all I could do to just sit there and try not to vomit. For me as a student in full-time education, the school was always critical of my attendance since I had regular monthly absences because of my period. It was frustrating, because it was something beyond my control, for which I felt nothing was helping.”

But all hope is not lost. The UK based charity, Wellbeing of Women, was formed 59 years ago, with the single objective of changing the lives of women, girls and babies. They have launched a number of successful campaigns, research studies, and have raised £67 million to fund these studies. For example, they are the creators of the “Just a Period” Campaign, which shares information and resources to give the answers to the questions you may have about periods, and where you can seek help.Dr Bandesha continues, “Most importantly what’s the solution? Change the narrative through listening to girls and women and make it everyone’s business to know about it.”