These days working for myself allows me to manage my dreadful period pain symptoms in a way I couldn’t never do when I held down a 9-5 Job!
In fact, I am writing this in bed , where I am currently laying with pain from my period which rudely arrived last night - 2 days early, thank you #perimenopause .
Why I am telling you this? Because Spanish politicians have approved a new draft bill that would allow those with most painful periods to have three days off a month.
I cant even describe how important this would have been to someone like myself. My periods for want of a better term are like an unruly child.
It’s migraines before or after, pain, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach , heavy bleeding 🩸 I have seen clinicians , I have been admitted to hospital but to absolutely no resolution. …no diagnosis, one Nurse called me ‘abnormal’…
Every month, … I never know what period cyclone is coming my way. I dread it. Sometimes I can be laid up in bed for 2-3 days , others times not.
As a result when I worked 9-5 I was often absent from work, sometimes each month or within the same absence monitoring period and these absences all added up. When I discussed my issues with my HR department I was told, ‘to have a baby’! That this would sort me out! It’s absolutely outrageous that women in the United Kingdom, in this day and age are still expected to listen to absolute nonsense like this. An employee coming to work vomiting or feeling so much pain they can’t stand up is absolutely no benefit to any service.
I was regularly on absence review because of the time I took off. It’s possible to say that in my last 3 years of 9-5 work I spent all of it, if not most of that time on absence monitoring.
The absolute added stress of being on monitoring didn’t help my periods either. It was a vicious circle!
Even now as self employed , on the odd occasion, I do need to take a day off because it’s so bad. But at least with self employment and the type of employment I have , I am able rest between clients and classes and lay down if I need to . My new working life at least allows me this benefit but sometimes it’s not enough.
This is 100% why the UK does need to look towards what Spain is doing and follow it’s lead. Women like myself are not asking for special treatment because we bleed , but because some of us experience periods in such a debilitating way that employers need to consider how they can support this. No every woman suffers from periods like this so not ever woman will use this allowance.
Many of my friends are absolutely baffled by how awful my periods are, as I am a rarity. I am entirely jealous of women who do not experience periods in the same way as I do. If I could have one wish it would be to remove this awful hideous experience each month that has debilitated me since I was 15.
I am attaching a link to the article I have reference for this blog.
I really hope that the UK can move towards something like this so future women don’t suffer in the same way I did!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61477168.amp