Many women are “suffering in silence” with menstrual problems according to a leading gynaecologist. Professor Damn Lesley Regan labelled it “shocking” so many were in the dark over whether or not they might require medical help for severe period pain or heavy bleeding.
“A variety of medical treatments could be offered to (those) with these distressing conditions,” she said. Prof Regan is the chair of charity Wellbeing of Women which has recently launched a symptom checker to provide clearer insights into users’ menstrual cycles.
The tool asks a series of questions on health and reproductive symptoms before drafting a letter to hand to your GP in a bid to kickstart open discussions on the topic.
Prof Regan said: “We hope that our new period symptom checker will encourage women to speak up and seek help.” Last year, the Women and Equalities Committee of MPs concluded girls were leaving school not aware of what constituted a ‘normal’ period.
The committee highlighted “medical misogyny” as a leading factor for this information gap which left many in debilitating pain and heavy bleeding for years as conditions continued to go undiagnosed. It also concluded that more had to be done in the education system to allow students to better understand menstrual health.
To access the period checker tool, or more information regarding Wellbeing of Women, click here.