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As few as one in ten women can pinpoint signs of heavy menstrual bleeding, as one of the UK’s top women’s health doctors says women and girls were “suffering in silence” from period problems, despite the availability of potential treatments.
Research by the charity Wellbeing of Women found that one in two women (51 per cent) said their period negatively impacts their life, and the same proportion avoid exercise when on their period while nearly three in five (57 per cent) experienced problems at work because of their period.
A Censuswide survey of 3000 people, commissioned by the charity, found that half of women also said their period symptoms had been dismissed, and just under a quarter said they felt their symptoms had been dismissed by a healthcare professional.
The survey found that only one in 10 women can identify all the signs of heavy menstrual bleeding, and more than six in 10 women did not realise that avoiding daily activities because of bleeding was a sign of heavy bleeding.
GP and health content creator Dr Aziza Sesay said when she posts videos talking about period symptoms that aren’t normal – including having to change period products every hour and having to put towels down in bed to avoid flooding – she always gets comments and messages from women and girls who are “stunned” to learn it.
“It’s one of those things that’s passed on intergenerationally: if a mum or grandmother has experienced it, she will tell her daughter, ‘Don’t worry, it just runs in the family’,” Dr Sesay said.
“I’ve done some period education in schools, and it never ceases to surprise me when a young girl comes up to me and says ‘I didn’t realise painful periods aren’t normal, my mum told me it was normal’.”
On Tuesday, the charity launched a new period symptom checker to help women and girls understand more about their menstrual cycle, which could help women talk to their GP about receiving better treatment.
The checker, which takes just four minutes to complete, asks various questions about health and reproductive symptoms, and at the end of the checker drafts a letter for women to give to their GP which can help open discussions about symptoms.
The report and symptom checker comes after a December report from the Women and Equalities Committee of MPs concluded that many girls are leaving school not knowing what constitutes a “normal” period, and that “medical misogyny” is leading to women living with unnecessary pain for years as reproductive conditions go undiagnosed.
Wellbeing of Women said many women are “putting up with” disabling levels of pain and heavy bleeding, waiting for an average of two years before seeking help.
Professor Dame Lesley Regan, who was appointed as the first-ever Women’s Health Ambassador for England under the Conservative government and is the chairwoman of Wellbeing of Women, said: “It is shocking that women are still suffering severe period pain and heavy bleeding in silence.
“A variety of medical treatments could be offered to girls and women with these distressing conditions.
“We hope that our new Period Symptom Checker will encourage women to speak up and seek help for their period problems.
“It aims to promote better engagement with GPs and other community healthcare professionals by creating a letter that outlines how their symptoms are affecting their everyday lives.”
Wellbeing of Women said that better education about menstrual health is urgently needed to encourage women to seek treatment, which could include an appointment with their GP or community healthcare professional, or better self-care.
Dr Michael Mulholland, honorary secretary at the Royal College of GPs, said: “It’s never easy to hear when any patient reports not feeling as though they have been listened to.
“We want all women to feel confident about turning to their GP for timely and appropriate care … and we will continue to support initiatives like Wellbeing of Women’s Period Symptom Checker to raise awareness and challenge the normalisation of period problems.”
Signs of an abnormal period
Dr Sesay, who is also an ambassador for Wellness of Women, said if your period is “really heavy or really painful” that is not normal.
“It’s important to know that even though something is your normal, it may not be normal … it needs to be checked,” she said.
Abnormal symptoms of heavy bleeding include needing to change period products every hour or needing to use both tampons and pads at the same time; having to put towels on your bed to avoid bleeding through bedding, and flooding through clothing.
Heavy bleeding can sometimes also cause anaemia, which can lead to shortness of breath, weak limbs, and fatigue.
Period pain that disrupts day-to-day life, including needing time off work or school or avoiding exercise, is also not normal, Dr Sesay said.
Some of the potential causes of these symptoms include endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids.
Dr Sesay stresses there are treatments available, from various pain medications to hormonal treatment and surgery, so it’s worth talking to your GP.
Additional reporting by PA
