‘women should have period leave’

Italy is set to become the first Western country to offer paid “menstrual leave” – and Dr Christian supports the idea

When I first heard about it the Italian W government passing the new policy I thought, “Menstrual leave? Whatever next!” But some women suffer horribly, and this could give them time to sort the problem.

That’s why I would support something similar here in the UK, but with one crucial caveat; if you’re signed off work for terrible periods, you should be seeking medical help for them. That stops it being open to abuse. If you’re not well enough to go into work a couple of days a month, medicine should help sort that – and it can.

A policy like this encourages people to be more open about how difficult period pain can be. Research says as many as one in 10 women have period cramps so bad they can’t carry out their daily activities three days a month.

SEVERE PAIN

There’s such a stigma attached to periods that plenty of women themselves can’t even say the word “period.” It’s “women’s problems” or “time of the month.” An awful lot of people think they should just get on with it and not make a fuss, but that’s how serious conditions can get missed. Research has likened the severity of some period pain to passing a kidney stone or having a heart attack. If you had those symptoms with something else you’d be signed off work.

Women have on average 400 periods in their lifetime, so if yours are painful or difficult, your employer should be understanding about that.

OFFERING SUPPORT

Very heavy periods can make you iron deficient, leaving you dizzy, weak, nauseous and doubled over with pain. There’s a psychological impact, too – women with fibroids have such heavy periods they can’t leave the house for a day or two.

Going on the contraceptive pill can help, but some can’t take it due to migraines or a predisposition to blood clots.

Difficult, painful and heavy periods are not life threatening, but they can be life limiting – and it’s one week in every four.

If you had a back problem, your doctor would suggest you may need to work from home – difficult periods should afford the same support. But it’s not an opportunity to feel sorry for yourself, it’s an opportunity to do something about it, because something can be done.