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Emily Handstock, a 25-year-old living in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, has suffered from severe period pain since she was 15 years old. She recently shared her story and the agony she has gone through on TikTok, in the hope of encouraging other women and girls to take part in severe period pain research. The research could help shape education and healthcare and improve the lives of women in the future.
She noted that even morphine barely helped her, and society had normalized the pain, meaning she was often told to simply have ibuprofen and get on with it. This has resulted in the belief that what she goes through is “not normal, but it is normalised.” Emily feels that the mental toll is also awful as she is worried about being well enough for work or school, while feeling that people won’t believe her.
According to a recent NHS Confederation research, taking time off work due to severe period pain or ovarian cysts costs England alone almost £11bn a year. Emily has savings and works as a sales manager, but she finds the impact of needing time off work a concern. She has been fortunate that her company has been supportive and accommodating towards her struggle, and she is even able to work from home to help accommodate the pain.
Emily is sharing her story as a Westminster report by MPs has warned that women experiencing painful health conditions, including heavy periods, are being dismissed when they ask for help. The report says medical misogyny leaves women in pain for years and disrupts all aspects of their daily life. Last week, the Welsh government announced the first women’s health plan, including a focus on menstrual health, which had been welcomed by Emily.
To help women like Emily, Cardiff University, through their two-year Health and Care Research Wales Project, is looking for more people to share their experiences with severe period pain. The study is looking for recommendations to both education and healthcare providers and targets parents, teachers, and community pharmacists as they play a significant role in young people’s education and access to healthcare. Dr. Robyn Jackowich, one of the project’s researchers, believes there’s certainly a need for it, given how common it is and the incredible impact it has on the people experiencing it. Severe period pain where it becomes difficult to carry out day-to-day activities was estimated it affects up to 29% of those with periods, making it hard for people to “focus, move, sleep, or miss school or work.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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