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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
