More than a third (36%) of British girls miss school because of period pain, a new survey has revealed.
The poll of more than 3,000 girls and young women aged 12 to 18, conducted by charities Wellbeing Of Women and Censuswide, revealed the extent of the problems menstruation causes them.
About 43% said their periods prevented them from eating or sleeping, while 92% said they experienced heavy bleeding and had to change their daily activities.
Zaynah Ahmed misses school due to period pain
Zaynah Ahmed started menstruating at age 11 and said she found herself missing a day of school every month because of it. By the time she was 16, the incident had left her paralyzed.
She told Sky News: “In Year 11, there wasn’t a single week where I would go five days in a row because my period was that bad. It was like constantly changing painkillers, but nothing really helped.”
Zaina was eventually diagnosed with adenomyosis and endometriosis. But she said there needs to be better research and education on the issues faced by young women who suffer from menstrual cramps.
“We need to make menstrual health a real priority across society,” Janet Lindsay, chief executive of charity Women’s Wellbeing, told Sky News.
“This is so important because we need to end the shame, stigma and silence surrounding so many aspects of women’s health, especially periods.”
Benefits chief executive Janet Lindsay says menstrual health must become a ‘real priority’
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The survey was commissioned as part of the Just a Period campaign, which aims to empower women and improve education and resources to help raise awareness of period-related symptoms, which experts say are often dismissed as Other illnesses are that serious.
GP Dr Aziza Sesay told Sky News: “I have teenagers who come to my clinic not for menstrual symptoms but are dragged around by their mums who say – tell them about your period… they Turn around and say ‘No, it’s just menstruation, it’s okay’.
“So there’s this argument that this is just a period and we don’t need to worry.”
Activists and experts are calling for more education, public health campaigns on menstrual health and for women and girls to be regularly asked about their periods during health check-ups.
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Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: “Women and girls often suffer from debilitating symptoms and wait far longer than they should for support or treatment.”
“‘Normal times’ will be different for everyone, but it’s important that it shouldn’t affect daily activities such as going to work or school.”
For Zaynah and many of the other 12- to 18-year-olds surveyed, periods do just that, making a major impact on their daily lives.
About 11% of respondents said it made them feel life was not worth living.
Responding to the survey, Women’s Health Minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News: “Women and girls should not be silent when it comes to period pain and heavy menstrual bleeding.
“That’s why we’re improving the information and support we offer women so they don’t suffer in silence, including making contraceptives more accessible – which often play a vital role in managing menstrual problems.
“Health education, including menstruation, is part of the compulsory school curriculum and is taught to all students and should be covered as early as possible.”
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